Love of Puyo Puyo
by TheBlackKid
Summary: (Alternate Universe) When two girls meet and fall in love with each other, one learns of the other's dark past. And through their own ways of handling it, Amitie, Raffina and friends & rivals alike deal with the evil secrets of a hat while working on their romantic relationships and whatever life decides to throw at them.
1. Approaching a New Life

Love of Puyo Puyo

By TheBlackKid

 **Chapter 1 – Approaching a New Life**

 **(Amitie's POV)**

"You okay back there, sweetie?"

"Yeah."

"We still have a long way to go before we reach the new town. Try to get some sleep in the meantime, alright?"

"Yeah…OK, mom."

I laid in the back seat of the car while my mom was driving. I was trying to get a decent amount of sleep before we reached our destination: A new home in a small town called Primp. We were moving from our old place in a big city to hopefully start life anew. And by "we", I mean me and my mom. My Dad's not in the picture anymore. Basically, he's the reason we're moving in the first place. Just thinking about what had happened and what he did makes me scared and angry, not only at him, but at myself for _trusting_ such a person, _admiring_ such a person, _loving_ such a person. The intense thoughts had sent me into a deep depression, and my mom, along with a psychiatrist, thought it would be best to move on in a new environment.

I tried to get at least a few minutes of sleep in the car, but every time I closed my eyes, those past thoughts keep showing up, and I would wake up crying my eyes out. I guess my mom started to notice, because before I even realized, she had pulled over on the side of the road and was sitting in the back seat with me.

"Still struggling, huh?"

I nodded my head, too distraught to say any words.

"Yeah. Me too."

My mom was a bigger victim than I was in the events that had transpired back home. But unlike me, she's able to hide her fear, and hide it well. Even after all she's been through with my (ex) dad, she manages to suck it up and care for my needs.

 _Mom's always been there for me since this mess began. It makes me think I was admiring the wrong person. That maybe if I was following her way, things could've been different. Maybe this outcome wouldn't have come true if I…If I…I…_

I bawled out into tears before I could even finish my thoughts. Mom grabbed me and wrapped me around her waist, allowing me to release my hard tears onto her pink sweater.

" **MOM! I'M SORRY! ALL OF THIS IS MY FAULT! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME, TO YOU, WHY WE'RE MOVING, ALL OF IT! IT'S ALL MY FAULT! IT'S ALL MY….** "

"Amitie, please stop! None of what you just said is true. None of this is any of your fault. And I don't blame you for anything that's happened. In fact, if it makes you feel any better, I put all blame on _you-know-who_. What's happened is done, and as much as we don't want to accept it, it's a part of us now, and we just have to accept it and move on. Now, could you do your mom a request, and just try to forget the past? I don't expect you to be your old cheery self at this very moment or anything, but a simple smile every now and then would make me happy."

I stopped the heavy tears after hearing mom's heartwarming speech and looked up at her face. Her light-green eyes were filled with held back tears. I've recently started admiring her for staying strong though all this mess, but at the same time I started worrying if all this holding back is good for her health and sanity.

" _W…Will it really, mom?_ "

"Absolutely 100%, sweetie."

I gave my mom her one request and formed a smile on my still distraught face. It was a small one, it was big enough for her to hug me tighter around my waist. I could feel her once held back tears run down my arm, which was my one request for her. We sat there in the back seat of the car, embraced in each other's arms for about 5 – 10 minutes, hearing other people drive by in their cars and honking their horns at us. It might have been embarrassing, but I didn't care. I felt like me and mom just grew closer than before, and in the first time since who knows how long, I started to love my mom, something that should've been a thing a long time ago. I hope I can share this feeling with someone else, because I don't want to lose it again.

Not know, not ever.

* * *

After an hour of our continued drive to this new town, Mom pulled over at a nearby inn and decided that we should call it night for now. I agreed with the idea because not only was I tired, but I really haven't ate anything since the day we left our old home. Which, as far as I could remember, was about a day ago.

What I do remember about that day was how sad and depressing it was for me. When we decided to move, we had to say goodbye to a lot of people. Friends, neighbors, favorite teachers…I had to say goodbye to all of them. And it was really was hard for me to not break down into tears in front of them. But I managed to do it…somehow.

 _But I miss them all. Ally, Ayumi, my old home, neighborhood, and school. I just hope that I can see them again soon._

"Amitie…"

"H-Huh?" I reacted when Mom called out my name. Then, for whatever reason, I felt the cheeks on my face. And realized that I was crying again.

"S-Sorry, Mom. I-I was just…th-thinking of everyone back home."

"I know, sweetie. I miss them too. But we'll see them again soon. I promise."

"R-Really?"

"I 100% promise you, Ami."

…

"O-Okay, Mom." I said, feeling a little bit better than I was a few seconds ago.

"Now then, I went ahead and got some pizza from next door. How's about we take baths and eat before we head for bed, alright?"

" ***giggle*** Sure, Mom."

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing. It's just it's kinda odd seeing you so serious about something."

"Hey! I may not do normal motherly things, especially at my age, but I'm still a mother, you know."

"Yeah, a very _special_ one." I said, putting the word special in air quotes.

"Meanie."

"Silly."

"Just get in the bath!" Mom sounded insulted.

"Alright, alright." I said. I then grabbed a set of pajamas and headed for the bathroom.

* * *

As I sat in the tub, I started having more thought run through my head. But unlike the previous ones, these were good and happy thoughts. I was actually somewhat excited to be moving into a new town. There's a possibility that I could meet new friends and neighbors. And this school Mom told me about, Primp Magic School…I'm not really sure how a magic school exists, considering that there's no such thing as magic. Well at least, I've never seen it with my own eyes. But maybe I'll get to see it someday.

"Maybe this new life…won't be so bad after all. I mean, I'll be away from _him_ , so that's a plus. Other than that, I'm basically starting over. Who knows how that's going to work out. I can only hope it doesn't get as bad as my old one." I whispered to myself.

"Amitie. Are you done yet? Dinner's getting cold."

"Coming, Mom."

After I came out the bath, I ate some of the pizza while Mom took her bath. Later on, we were both in the one single bed the room had and trying to get some sleep. I wanted to talk to Mom a little bit, but…

"Hey, Mom…"

" _Zzzzzzz…_ "

…She was already fast asleep.

" _sigh._ She needs it more than me." I said as I turned to face the other way. After a few minutes, I ended up falling asleep myself. And for the first time in a couple days…

…I actually felt a smile run across my face.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **The first break in this chapter was the original chapter. What's after it was added because I didn't like how short it was. I've been meaning to rewrite this chapter for a while. Wasn't satisfied with how short it was. Going to be doing the same thing to chapters 3 & 4 too. So just a heads up.**


	2. The New Girl

**Chapter 2 – The New Girl**

 **Raffina's POV**

" **DAMN THAT KLUG! HE AGGRAVATES ME TO NO END!** "

I was walking home from another irritating day at school. Klug, the self-proclaimed genius of the world, was testing everyone's last nerve again, and I was about to let him have it that time if Ms. Accord didn't walk in at that exact moment.

 _ *****_ **BEGIN FLASHBACK** _ *****_

"Raffina, you really need to control your anger towards Klug." Ms. Accord said to me while we were in her strangely spacious office.

"But Ms. Accord, you see how he is! He throws insults at me related to different types of primates! It's infuriating!"

"I know, but that's just how he is. And we can't change that, as much as we want to."

"Come on, please? All it'll take is one punch and he'll change ways for good!"

"I would like to see that, meow." Popoi said.

"See? Even Popoi agrees with me! And he doesn't usually agree with anyone but you!"

"Raffina…"

" _*sigh*_ Fine, Ms. Accord. I'll at least _try_ to keep it in."

"As long as you try, it's fine by us, right Popoi?"

"You could at least give her idea a shot…"

" _Popoi…_ "

"Just meowing"

"Anyway, please try to restrain yourself, Raffina. Especially with the new student around."

"Yeah, fine. Whatever."

 ***END FLASHBACK***

And that's almost every day for me. I don't understand how Ms. Accord puts up with Klug's jerkish personality with a straight face. It makes me angry as hell, and I've seen Lidelle cry a few times because of it.

And then Tarutaru, the biggest guy in the whole school, doesn't do anything about it. He just sits to himself all day. It pisses me off how I have to just deal with this damn nonsense every day and no one does a damn thing about it! At least I'm willing to stand my ground and show people that I will hurt them if they get me angry.

I may not have any friends because of that, but who really cares? I'm too damn elegant to be friends with any of these plebs. _Oh La-Ti-Da!_

* * *

I spent the next 2-3 minutes or so grumbling to myself and imagining obscenities I would love to say to Klug. This method always calms me down when days like this happen (which as I said before, is every day).

I was a couple inches from my house when a big truck came speeding down the street. The force from it passing by almost lifted my skirt, but I managed to hold it in place, saving myself from extreme embarrassment.

" **HEY! SLOW DOWN, YOU DAMN MANIC!** "I shouted as loud as I could to whoever was driving the truck, but obviously he or she didn't hear me. Once I calmed down a little, I noticed that it was heading the direction of an area that seemed a bit off to me.

 _Now that I think about it, that was a moving truck, right? Is someone moving here? If so, the only available house in that direction is…I've gotta see this for myself._

I then started following the truck down the street it was going, passing up my house in the process, to where I'm pretty sure this truck is heading to.

After a few minutes of chasing this truck like a dog off its leash, it finally stopped in front of the place I was thinking of the whole time following it. It was a greyish white house that was abandoned for the past 10 years or so. The building itself looked somewhat fine besides the graffiti on some parts. The grass surrounding it, on the other hand, was really overgrown. I wouldn't be surprised to see at least a few Onion Pixies living in there.

 _Someone's going to live_ _ **here?!**_ _This place is a dump! But I guess not everyone can be as luxurious as me! Oh La-Ti-Da!_

I watched as two guys came out of the truck and opened the back door to reveal some boxes inside. There weren't really that many boxes inside. In fact, there were a lot less than what you would expect for people moving somewhere. There weren't even any furniture inside.

 _Okay, what's with these people? Why do they barely have any stuff with them? Are they really_ _ **THAT**_ _poor?_

As I continued to think to myself, I started remembering what Ms. Accord said at the end of our chat earlier.

"Please try to restrain yourself, Raffina. Especially with the new student around."

 _Weird. Ms. Accord never said anything about a new student at all during class today. Knowing her, she was probably trying to keep it a secret again. And I bet she was planning to tell us at the last minute again. But somehow, she managed to slip up and told me. And neither she or Popoi noticed. I'm going to have fun talking to her before class tomorrow. Oh La-Ti-Da!_

About 5-10 minutes after the truck came, a grey-ish four-door sedan pulled up to the driveway of the empty house. What came out of it were two people. One was a blonde-haired woman who looked young and slim, almost like a model. I've never seen anyone who could be as pretty as me. She could easily rival me for the prettiest girl in Primp.

And I'm only saying that she could, not that she should. No one would **EVER** have the chance to beat me! Oh La-Ti-Da!

Behind my possible rival was another girl who, judging by her height, was around my age. She had a grey hoodie over her head, so I couldn't make out her face. But I did see a strand of blonde hair come out of it, so I can safely assume that they're sisters.

Then the shorter girl then removed her hood and I was able to get a good look at her. Now I was 100% sure they were sisters. Both had blonde hair, both had green eyes, both had the same facial features, but when I looked at the younger girl again, I noticed her eyes were red and puffy.

 _Was she crying the entire way here from wherever she's from? I mean, I wouldn't know how to sympathize with her. If I had to move from here, I wouldn't mind at all. Cause I would finally be away from Klug._

The two girls went inside the house along with the moving crew carrying the few boxes with them. Normally, I would turn around and go home right about now. But my curiosity got the best of me. And when nobody was looking, I hid behind one of the tall parts of grass at the side of the house.

When I eventually found the nearest window, I peeked inside the house and saw it being filled with only the now countable 8 boxes inside, which in all took them about 4 minutes to do.

I scanned the house a little more and to the far left of it was the kitchen. From what I could make out of it from the terrible angle I was in, it was very small. The living room was just a simple square. No corners or anything like that. There was an entryway to a possible back part of the house, but…this place looked way too small for anyone to live in.

 _Or maybe I'm just saying that because I live in a mansion…_

I then caught a glance of the younger blonde again. And I had to admit, despite them being puffy from all the crying she was probably doing, she had such beautiful green eyes. I couldn't stop staring at them. They were just so…mesmerizing.

Soo after, I felt my body getting hot and my heart beating fast. And the more I stared at her, the warmer and faster they got. I didn't know what was happening to me…

…

…b-but I…kinda like it.

I wanted to stay a little longer and continue to stare at this girl. But then I felt an interruption on my butt. And it was starting to hurt a lot. I then looked beside me to see what was causing such a literal pain in the ass.

And for the first time in my life, I wished that I was wrong about something.

"Onion!"

 _Damnit! I knew there had to be at least one! And it's the OG one, too!_

"Go away, Onion Pixy! I'm busy!" I whispered.

"Onion?! Onion! Onion onion!"

"I said go away! And keep it down while you're at it!"

" **Onion! Onion! Onion!** "

"Listen, you damn mutant vegetable! I don't know what you want and I don't care what you want! Get the hell away from me!"

" _Onion…_ "

As I went back to watch…

" **GAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!** "

I then felt excruciating pain in the one place a girl doesn't want to feel pain in. It was hurting so bad, I feel like I was about to cry. But I managed to hold in my tears of pain and replaced them with the most pissed off look anyone could have.

" _ **You little runt! You DARE hit a lady in their most special spot?! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!**_ "

"O-Onion…"

I was about to turn this onion into a salad topping, when…

"Hello? Is anyone out here?"

 _ **Crap! They heard me!**_

I started panicking a lot and without thinking, I tried to leave the patch of grass I was hiding in. but I wasn't looking where I was going, and I tripped over Onion Pixy and fell to the ground. Scraping my knee in the process.

" **GAH! Are you freaking kidding me?!** "

" **Onion! On, on, onion!** "

"Is someone in this grass?"

 _ **Crap! I need to get out of here!**_

Not having any time to stop, I grabbed Onion Pixy by his head and ran out a side of the grass hoping not to be seen by one of the two girls here. I wasn't sure if I did or not, but I didn't have the clear mind to check.

Once I was far enough, I stopped and took multiple deep breaths to regain my lady-like composer. Which was a hard thing to do with the extreme pain in my crotch.

Which reminds me…

I took one look at Onion Pixy and he took a look at me. I then threw him up in the air and prepared to return the favor from earlier.

"Ready, and… **CEIL ARK!** "

 ***POW***

" **OOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!** "

" **SCREW YOU, YOU DAMN PIECE OF COMPOST!** " I shouted as Onion Pixy flew away to who knows where.

" _Ow. My crotch. I better get home and see how much damage he did to it._ "

* * *

It was a really painful walk home. I think I actually made it worse from taking big steps instead of small ones. But I really wanted to get home quickly. So either way, I couldn't win.

I managed to get home and climb up the stairs to my room, grabbing the first-aid kit while doing so. I went inside my bathroom, closed and locked the bathroom door, and started undressing until I was completely nude. I then kept staring at my crotch, seeing how bruised it was from Onion Pixy's spiked club. Thankfully, it wasn't bleeding. It isn't time for me to be worrying about blood coming from that place.

 _At least not yet, anyway._

As I was applying some first-aid cream to my private area, I couldn't stop thinking about that girl. The fact that her eyes were that swollen from the amount of crying she did…it honestly had me thinking.

 _She looked so miserable. Almost like she was depressed or something. I feel like whatever her reason for moving here is a horrible one. Normally, I couldn't care less about other people's feelings, but for some reason…this girl…she's different somehow._

I then started feeling warm all over my body and felt my heart beating like crazy again. And I looked at myself in the mirror and saw that I was blushing a little this time. The first two were repeats. The blushing was all new.

"Geez, I'm probably overthinking it." I shook my head out of that train of thought and after a couple minutes to let the cream set in, I decided to take a shower to clear my mind little.

After that, I got dressed in one of my elegant nightgowns and decided to go to bed early. The thoughts of that girl were still rambling through my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about her.

I don't know a single thing about that girl, or what happened in her past to make her look so depressed. But what I do know is that Ms. Accord has a lot of explaining to do.

 _And plus, I get to rub it in her face! Oh La-Ti-Da!_

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.***_

 **Thanks for reading. Raffina may have had a little change of heart here, but her hatred for Klug is still strong. Please rate, review, and possibly follow the story. A new chapter will be coming soon.**


	3. The First Night

**Chapter 3 – The First Night**

 **Amitie's POV**

"Okay, that's the last of them." One of the moving guys said to Mom.

"Thank you so much. I know it was only a few boxes, but we still appreciate the help. If only I had some money to give you…"

"Don't worry about it, ma'am. The whole trip's free of charge." The other moving guy said.

"R-Really?! W-Wow! Thank you so much!"

"Good luck with your new life."

The moving crew left the house and drove off in their truck back the way they came. Leaving us with the 8 boxes filled with stuff from our old home. We didn't bring any of our old furniture because those things just remind us of the terrifying memories that we really want to forget.

"Well…this is it, Ami. our new home. Wanna take a look around?"

"Sure…I guess." I said with a depressed tone.

We took a tour of the house and it's quite small. But then again, it's only going to be the two of us living here, so having a bigger house wouldn't make much sense.

There were the standard rooms you expect to see in a house like this. A living area, kitchen, one bathroom, two bedrooms, an extra room for probably a guest or something, and a small patio in the back. From what Mom told me, the place had been empty for nearly a decade. I thought she was exaggerating a bit…

…but she wasn't.

The place was dusty. And I mean _**REALLY**_ dusty. So dusty, in fact, that there were cobwebs in certain corners of the house. No spiders though. At least we have that going for us.

"Uh, Mom. It's really _***cough* *cough***_ dusty in here." I said while covering my nose with my shirt.

"It's not that bad, Ami. A little cleaning should fix this place up."

" _A little?_ "

"Ok, **A LOT** of cleaning. We'll start that and unpack our stuff during the weekend. For now, let's just get cleaned up and then I'll get dinner ready, alright?"

"Dinner? What's for dinner?"

"Instant ramen."

"S-Seriously? That's all you brought?"

"Well, we don't have much money, Ami. We have to save as much as we can until we can get back on our feet. So just bear with me please?"

"I-I didn't say I wouldn't. It's just…you could've picked something other than ramen."

" _And just_ _what is wrong with ramen?_ " Mom asked while sounding a little pissed.

 _Fiddlesticks. I forgot that Mom loves ramen…_

"U-Uh…wh-what I mean is…"

" **GAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!** "

"Hey, did you hear that?"

"It's probably a squirrel or something."

"Mom, squirrels don't scream like that. I think someone's outside."

"Well, if you're so sure about it, then you go out and check."

"M-Me?! Wh-Why?! You're the adult!"

"And you insulted my favorite food. Now go."

"Meanie." I said as I headed out the front door.

* * *

When I got outside, I noticed that the tall grass was moving rapidly like someone was in the middle of them. As I got closer, I started hearing a voice.

" _ **You little runt! You DARE hit a lady in their most special spot?! I'LL MAKE YOU PAY FOR THAT!**_ "

" _Special spot?" What the hell?_

"H-Hello? I-Is anyone out here?" I asked whoever was in the grass.

The movement speed of the grass suddenly got faster after I said that. I was honestly getting scared. I didn't know or what was in those stacks of grass. And I was trying to think of what to do next.

But while I was doing so…

" **GAH! Are you freaking kidding me?!** "

" **Onion! On, on, onion!** "

 _T-Two voices?! Th-There are two people in there?! Th-That's even worse!_

"I-Is someone in this grass?" I asked again. And this time, I even started moving closer to the tall grass. That's when I saw something pop out from the side of it. looking like it was running really fast.

I couldn't get a good look at it, but it…looked like a girl. A girl with long, pink, somewhat curly hair. It also looked like she was carrying something in her hand. But I couldn't make heads or tails on what it was. The whole thing was almost a blur to me.

I stood there in shock for a bit, but eventually came back to my senses and went back inside.

"So was it a squirrel?" Mom asked.

"What? No. It was actually a girl."

"A girl? What was she doing there?"

"Not sure. B-But she did say something about her…um… _sp-special spot_." I said the last part while blushing a little.

"Why are you blushing? You got one too."

" **Y-Yeah, but I don't like talking about it!** "

"Geez, Ami. You're too pure for your own good."

" **It's not me being pure! It's me being normal!** "

"Whatever you say, Ami."

 _I think I'm starting to remember why I didn't follow Mom all too often._

"Well, whatever she was doing, she's gone now. I'm going to take my bath now." I said.

"Don't take long. Or else your _**ramen**_ will get cold."

" **Tch!** " I actually flinched a little when Mom said that.

 _Fiddlesticks! I forgot about the ramen!_

* * *

You would think that in a house that hasn't been habituated by anyone in nearly a decade, the bathroom would be the filthiest area in the house. But to my surprise, it was the complete opposite. Even the water was clear. I decide not to question it, described it as lucky, and took my bath.

Soon after I finished my bath Mom took hers, and later we were sitting on futons in the middle of the living room eating instant ramen while watching some mystery crime solving show on a streaming site on Mom's computer. I took a quick glance around the house again, still wondering how Mom was able to afford this place despite us leaving our old home with little to no money.

"S-So, Mom…just how were you able to get this house?"

"A friend of my who lives here saved it for me. And I've heard that is was a steal, too."

"I-It was probably a steal because no one's lived here in 10 years."

"Don't worry, Ami. This house is perfectly safe. A bit dirty, but perfectly safe."

"Yeah, but even if you say that…"

"You're still worried about us being _**safe**_ , are you?"

I didn't really answer her perfectly. But when Mom saw me looking away from her, she figured out what my answer was.

"Amitie. I know you're still going through your depression, but I can assure you that we are perfectly safe here. We left all our bad memories behind and we've come here to create pure new ones."

"But what if the bad ones come back? **WHAT IF** _ **HE**_ **COMES BACK?! WHAT IF HE DOE…** "

Before I could finish my sentence, Mom grabbed me and pulled me closer to her, embracing me into a hug. Her body was warm. As warm as a blanket coming out of the dryer. It could be because she just got out the bath, but that didn't cross my mind at all.

" **LIKE HELL HE WILL! AND IF HE DOES SHOW HIS DAMN FACE AROUND HERE I'LL MAKE HIM PAY! I'LL MAKE HIM REGRET EVERYTHING HE'S DONE TO US, EVEN IF IT'LL COST ME MY LIFE!** "

"Mom, please don't! I don't want anything happing to you. Because then I'll be alone."

"You'll never be alone, Amitie! You've got me, and I got you. And after all we've been through, I'm glad I get to start over with you, my daughter!"

I started bawling out tears for the second time today after hearing Mom's heart-warming speech. I had my arms around her waist and she had hers around mine. Including the chat that happened in the car earlier today, this was the happiest I've been in a long time.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Ami. I'll always will."

We then went to sleep still hugging each other. We both had a long day today. And starting tomorrow, our new pure lives will be in effect.

 _Watch me now, new life! I'm coming for you!_

 ** _AUTHOR'S NOTE:_** ** _*This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.*_**


	4. Avoiding Death & Gaining Friends

**Chapter 4 – Avoiding Death & Gaining Friends**

 **Raffina's POV**

" ***moan*** It's morning already? I feel like I just went to bed. Damnit."

I barely got any sleep last night. Multiple images of that blonde girl from yesterday kept appearing in my dreams. With her eyes being so puffy you could mistake them for bee stings, you could easily mistake her for a monster. It kept me up for most of the night. Not to mention the countless information about her that I bet Ms. Accord is hiding.

 _It's weird. These thoughts…I can't get them out of my head. Normally, I wouldn't be caring so much about someone other than me. But this girl…this one girl. My curiosity has been peaked like never before. Something's definitely up with that girl. And I really want to know._

I got out of my bed at a slower pace than I normally do. I was still in pain from what Onion Pixy did to me, but not as much as yesterday. As I'm able to walk normally again.

I looked out the window of my double glass doors in my room facing the pool and saw that some of the trees surrounding the backyard were shaking a little. Which only meant one thing…

"Geez. It must be cold outside. I hope I can find some pants or something to wear today."

I went over and opened the door to reveal my ginormous walk-in closet. Inside is my entire collection of fabulous and expensive clothes, shoes, and jewelry alike. I'm very proud of it. Mainly because it's my parents buying me all this elegant beauty.

They're…currently not in the picture right now. But as long as they keep sending me stuff only an elegant and graceful lady like me could wear, I couldn't care less about what they're doing right now! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_

I started going through my precious collection to look for something to keep me warm today. It actually took me a while, because I would occasionally stop and admire it for a couple of minutes. It's a habit of mine. A really good one that I don't ever plan on stopping…

…

Well, okay. Maybe I can spend less time doing this. I sometimes end up late for school because of it.

I eventually did pick out something to wear today. I found this really cute orange mini-dress to go with these white designer jeans that I haven't worn yet. And over the mini-dress was a black jacket with white stripes on the sleeves. I even had these cute white and orange shoes that matched the whole outfit. And this pretty white flower to go on my head. Once I got dressed, I looked at the mirror and couldn't stop giggling to myself. I looked so cute, I could just kiss myself.

"There! Not only am I super warm, but I look so damn cute, too! There's no way people can compete with me! Not even that girl from…

…

…yesterday."

I stopped talking and stared at myself in the mirror. The same thoughts from before were messing up my time of self-complimenting. And it actually made me grow a sad look on my face.

"It's that girl! That damn girl! I don't know what it is, but it has something to do with that girl! **Just what the hell is it?!** "

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

" _Hey, Raffina. Can you keep it down a little? It's too early for yelling._ "

"Uh…s-sorry, Amira."

That's just my older sister. I'll tell you about her later. Right now, I need to get to school I end up late again.

 _I can't afford any more detentions…_

* * *

I was right about the weather being cold today. A cool breeze was hitting my face every 10 seconds or so. It was a good thing that I brought a light-turquoise scarf with me. The chances of me getting sick are lower now.

While I was walking to school, those same thoughts of that girl kept swarming in my mind. That same face was like a memory that I can't forget. I don't know why, but every time it shows up, I get the same effects as the others times before. Those teary green puffy eyes were just the most absolute **SADDEST** thing I've ever seen.

"Why…?"

" _Raffina…_ "

"Why does that face absorbs me so deeply…?"

" _Raffina…_ "

" **WHY CAN'T I FORGET?!"**

" **RAFFINA!"**

Without realizing, I ended up lying down on a patch of grass, dazed and confused. With the recent thoughts clearing away (for now), I opened my eyes slightly to see a green blur floating above me. I took me a while to figure out what that green blur was, but when I did, boy was I mad.

" **Lidelle?! What are you doing?! Get off me!** " I yelled as I shoved Lidelle off me and got up from on the grass, patting the dirt off my jeans in the process.

" **You better have a good reason for pushing me into the dirty patch of grass, Lidelle! Or else you're** _ **really**_ **gonna get it!** " I yelled, making a threating fist with my right hand. Naturally, Lidelle started tearing up, as she was always afraid of angry me, and well me in general.

" ***shriek*** I-I'm s-sorry, R-Raffina. I-It's…j-just…w-well…u-uh…"

" **Just what?!** " I yelled, growing impatient. She was also known for stuttering her sentences a lot, with her being such a shy girl.

" ***shriek*** **I-It's just you were about to hit by a car and didn't know what else do! So I jumped in and pushed you out of the way! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!** " Lidelle had said that really fast, then started crying out of fear.

The minute she did stop talking, I unclenched my fist and began to tear up myself.

 _Wha…What the…_ _ **What the hell is wrong with me?!**_ _Lidelle just risked her life just to save mine, and I was about to beat her for it! Am I really_ _ **THAT**_ _scary?! I never would've thought this would happen. I mean, I would always have dreams of me being rescued by a handsome prince of some sorts…but I never thought it would happen in real life! These thoughts have gone to a point to where I almost_ _ **DIED**_ _because of them! That's it! I've had enough! No more of these damn thoughts messing with me! I'm going to face Ms. Accord and_ _ **DEMAND**_ _that she tells me_ _ **EVERYTHING**_ _about that girl! But first… I need to make this right._

I got down to Lidelle's kneeling height and pulled her in for a hug. I was extremely grateful for her risking her life to save mine. Even after how I've been so mean to her all this time.

"Lidelle… **I should be the one who's sorry! I was about to hurt you for just because you saved my life! I'm such a horrible person! But after this near-death experience, I want to change! And I plan to change! No more mean, scary, wanting to beat people up me! I'm really going to turn over a new leaf! So do you have it in your heart to forgive me?!** " I was bawling out tears at this point.

"S-S-Seriously, Raffina?! Y-Y-You're going to change?!"

"Yes! And I mean it, too! I just got a second chance at life, and I'm not going to waste it by being my current self!"

Lidelle sat there in shock for a bit. Then after a few seconds, she returned my hug and we continued like this for a good while. Afterward, we got up from the ground and continued our walk to school. It was then that I noticed what Lidelle was wearing. Which was a green sleeveless shirt and black warmers on both arms. She also wore a short green mini-skirt and black leg warmers over her green and white sneakers. And in between the shirt and skirt was a black belt that looked like it wasn't holding up anything.

It was…interesting. To say the least.

 _Man. Lidelle sure loves the color green, huh?_

" H-Hey, Raffina. I-I've been wondering…s-seeing you cry was a rare sight for me. A-Are you okay?" Lidelle asked me.

"Well…I've been through a lot these past few hours."

"Really? What happened?"

" _Well…_ "

I then told Lidelle everything that's happened the past couple of hours. From seeing the blonde girl with swollen eyes from the excessive crying and who could be our new classmate, to not being able to sleep last night due to these thoughts going on in my head.

I left out the injury part. I don't feel comfortable telling someone I got a bruise on my…you know.

But even without knowing that, Lidelle seemed to understand. Because she gave me another hug after I had finished explaining everything. She's so sweet and kind. I can't believe I was mean to such an innocent girl like her.

"Wow, Raffina. That sounds horrible." She said.

"Yeah, you don't have to tell me twice."

"Makes me want to ask Ms. Accord about that girl, too."

"Wait, you do? Why?"

"Well…It seems to be causing you a lot of stress. And I don't like it when my friends stress."

"F-Friend?!"

"Y-Yeah. Y-You're my friend, Raffina. A-Am I wrong?"

"W-Well…n-no. I-It's just…I-I've never really…h-had a…fr-fr…friend before."

 _Aw, geez. Now she has me stuttering._

"R-Really? N-Not even one?"

"Sadly, no."

"Whoa. W-Well it's okay now, Raffina. I-I'll be your friend."

"R-Really?! Y-You would?!"

"Sure. I like having friends. Having one makes me so happy. E-Especially nowadays." Lidelle had said that last part with a sad tone. Which I was able to pick up.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.

"N-Nothing…i-it's just…T-Tarutaru's been ignoring me a lot recently. He doesn't talk to me, we don't eat lunch together, and we don't even walk home together anymore. I-It's like he doesn't want to be my friend anymore."

"Really? Tarutaru?"

"Y-Yeah. I-It's weird…and it also hurts."

Lidelle looked like she was about to cry. This problem of hers must really be hurting her right now. I had to make her feel better. I mean, she did it to me. And that's what friends do right?

I grabbed Lidelle and brought her closer to embrace in a hug once more, only this one was longer than the ones before. Since I always believed that I was so much better than everyone else, I didn't think I needed friends. But Lidelle still treats me like one, even after all the times I've walked all over her. And she even saved my life (I still can't get over that). I guess this is what friendship is like these days.

 _I could get used to this…_

"Not to worry, Lidelle. I may not know what's going on in Tarutaru's big stupid head, but I'll be your friend. Your best friend. And I won't ignore you either." I said.

"R-Really, Raffina? Y-You mean it?"

"Yep. I truly mean it." I said with an added smile.

Lidelle looked very happy when I said that. She looks really cute when she smiles. Which was another thing that I never noticed until now.

"Now let us continue our walk to school. Don't want to be late now, do we? _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

But Lidelle didn't answer me. Instead, she just stared at me with a confused look on her face.

"What?" I asked.

"W-Well…it's just I've been wondering. What does it mean when you say " _Oh La-Ti-Da!_ " like that?"

…

…

"You know, to be honest…I don't really know. I just like saying it. Call it a hobby, if you must."

"Huh. Okay then."

We both then continued making our way to school. During the walk, the thoughts of the blonde girl came back soon after. But at least now I've got someone to help me deal with them.

And besides, better Lidelle than Klug. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.***_


	5. New School Life

**Chapter 5 – New School Life**

 **Amitie's POV**

 ***RING* *RING* *RING***

" ***moan*** Morning already?"

I looked at the alarm on my phone while rubbing my eye and saw that it was 7:00 am, the time we agreed to wake up in the mornings. I turned off the alarm and looked over to Mom, who was still asleep.

"Hey. Mom. Wake up." I said to her.

No response.

"Come on, we're going to be late." I started shaking her a little.

Still no response.

" _Mom…_ " I was starting to get irritated.

Not a single sound.

" **MOM!** " I shouted in her ear.

" ***moan*** Five more minutes, Ami."

"Five more minutes?! Mom, you're the one who chose this time!"

"I did? ***moan*** Ok, Ok. I'm getting up."

Mom sat up from her futon with her long blonde hair all messed up and frizzy. She barely had her eyes open and had a little drool on the side of her mouth.

"Geez. Are you always this heavy of a sleeper?" I asked.

"Hey, I'm an adult. Every adult is a heavy sleeper."

"Pretty sure not _every_ adult…"

"Plus, we did have a long day yesterday."

"Yeah, true. If I didn't have to go to school today, I would be still sleeping too."

"See? So you can't be mad at me."

"Okay, I get it. Just hurry up and get dressed."

"Alright, alright."

After Mom eventually got out of her futon, we freshened up and were eating breakfast on the very same futons we were sleeping on. We don't have any furniture, nor can we afford any, so we have to make do with these.

"So…this is it. Today's the day we start our new lives. You think you're ready for it?" Mom asked, all while slurping down her instant ramen cup. Again, we don't have any money, so we have to make do with what we got.

"W-Well…I-I'm not really sure."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Well…I'm going to a new school with people I don't even know in the middle of the school year. What if I don't make any friends?"

"Oh come on, sweetie. Of course you'll make friends. Why do you think I named you Amitie?"

"My name has a meaning?"

"Yeah. It means "friendship" in French."

"How the heck do you know French?"

"Well…"

Just as Mom was about to answer, her phone rang and she picked it up to answer that instead of my question.

"Uh, hey!" I got upset.

"Hold on a sec, Ami." She said to me. "Hello?"

" _Hey. Are you up yet?_ "

"Of course I'm up! Did you really had to call and check?!"

" _Well, knowing you, it's almost necessary._ "

"Geez. Still treating me like a 5-year-old."

" _That's because you act like one, meow._ "

"Hey…"

" _Just hurry and get going. Please don't be late for that job I got you._ "

"Alright, fine. Oh, and…thanks again for your help. I really owe you big."

" _You're welcome. Hope to see you sometime._ "

"Same here."

Mom then hung up the phone and finally gave her attention back to me.

"Who was that?" I asked.

"Oh, just a friend of mine. Nothing to worry about."

"I see. And I heard that you got a job already?"

"Yep. I got a job writing light novels for the library in this town. I'm supposed to meet with the owner today."

"You? Writing? Since when did you do that?"

"Since back in high school."

"And you never bothered to tell me?"

"You never asked."

…

…

I released a small sigh while facepalming my entire face at the same time.

"And what's _that's_ supposed to mean?" Mom got insulted.

"Nothing, Mom."

I then looked at the clock on my own phone and saw that it was 7:30 am.

"Well, I better be going. School's gonna start in 30 minutes." I said before getting up from my pink futon.

"Do you know where the school is?"

"I added the address to Google Maps. It should take me there."

"Alright, then. Have fun at your new school."

"Alright, Mom. See ya." I said as I headed out the door.

* * *

I was standing in front of the door outside the house, shivering a bit due to the cool breeze hitting my face. I was wearing a white jacket over a dark-grey shirt. I also had a pair of black sweatpants and these white sneakers I had bought before moving here.

It wasn't much, but the rest of my clothes were left behind at my old home. Too many bad memories with those.

 _Memories that I want to forget._

As I started walking further away from the front door, I began remembering something from yesterday. I then looked to my right and stared at the tall patch of grass at the house. It was when the memory of what happened yesterday came back to my mind.

 _That girl…Why was she in those grass patches yesterday? Was she spying on us? Or perhaps…was she judging us already?! Do people really that here?! Will she be my classmate?! What will she think of me if that's the case?_

"Wh-What am I thinking? I-I'm probably overreacting. Could be the first-day jitters getting to me. Anyway, I better get going. Can't be late for my first day at a new school."

I then continued my walk to my new school. All while being excited…and somewhat nervous.

It's a huge stress starter for anyone my age. Going to a brand new school in a brand new town with little to no guidance whatsoever. Of course, I would be nervous. I wasn't really familiar with this town. In fact, I don't I've ever heard of this place called "Primp Town".

 _Now that I think about it, just what is a primp?_

As I was walking, I did look around at the surrounding areas near me. It's really peaceful here, I had to admit. A lot quieter than back home. It was something I think I could get used to rather quickly.

" _YOU HAVE REACHED YOUR DESTINATION._ "

This was Google Maps telling me that I was at the school. I looked up from my phone and saw that it was pretty big for such a small town like this. Looked kinda weird-looking, too.

But no matter how weird it looked, this was my school now. So I had to just get used to it.

I took one last deep breath to myself as I turned my phone on silent and placed it in my pocket.

"Well…here I go." I said. Then I finally started walking towards the front doors. Ready to start a new school life.

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.* This and the next chapter were originally one chapter. But were made separate and given more detail in each.**_


	6. The Fifth Classmate

**Chapter 6 – The Fifth Classmate**

 **Raffina's POV**

When Lidelle and I got to school, the first thing we did was go straight to Ms. Accord's office and get her to tell us what was going on with this new girl.

" **Ms. Accord!** " I yelled while slamming the door open. Luckily, she was the only one there. So it wasn't that much of a disturbance.

" Oh. Good morning, Raffina and Lidelle. Oh my, Raffina! You look rough! What happened?!"

" **Never mind that! We need to talk about what you said yesterday!** "

"What I said yesterday?"

"Teacher. You accidentally told Raffina about the new student we're getting. And she's been thinking about it since." Lidelle said.

"I didn't even sleep last night because of it." I added.

"See? I meowed you she'll notice." Popoi said.

"Yeah, you did. I guess rich people are smart after all." Ms. Accord whispered that last part, but I was still able to hear it.

"Um, hello! I'm right here!" I got insulted.

"Of course. So sorry, Raffina. But I guess I did _accidentally_ tell you about it."

Lidelle and I were completely confused from what she just said. Ms. Accord was always a little suspicious when it came to these type of things. But this one by far took the cake.

"Eh? What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Well…maybe I **did** wanted you to know." Ms. Accord said with a giggle.

"Huh?" And the two of us were even more confused.

" ***giggle*** Oh, how I love making you kiddies confused."

"Will you quit trolling us and just tell us already?!" I yelled from embarrassment. And I even blushed a little. I always hated how she kept doing that to us. Me especially.

 _Just because I'm a rich girl, doesn't mean I'm not that bright. I really hate these damn rich girl stereotypes._

"Oh, alright. I supposed we have enough time for a chat. Listen carefully, girls. It's an important one."

"Yes! Finally! Now I can finally know what's up with this girl! And these thoughts will go away for good! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

"Someone's excited, meow." Popoi said.

"Yes, indeed." Ms. Accord said.

"I've never seen you so excited for someone other than yourself, Raffina." Lidelle said.

…

…

"Q-Quit staring at me already! It's getting uncomfortable." I said while blushing a little.

"Oh, alright. So…about that new student. Yes, we are getting one. She just moved into town yesterday." Ms. Accord said.

"Well, yeah. I know that. I didn't follow that moving truck to the house just for the hell of it."

"Really? Interesting."

" **Tch!** "

 _I know I'm gonna regret that later…_

"Anyway, her name's Amitie. And starting today, she'll be joining our little class."

"Y'know, I've always wondered why we only have four students in our class." Lidelle said.

"Well, it's five now, meow." Popoi said.

"Yeah, but…why is that?"

"Well…let's just said you kiddies are special."

"Special?" Lidelle and I asked.

Ms. Accord giggled as she got up and walked towards the door, still grinning as always.

"Well, that should be enough information for now. Come on, girls. Class begins in 5 minutes."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute! I still got questions! How come she was crying yesterday when I saw her?!"

"Hmm…not sure. Maybe you should ask her yourself, Raffina."

"Also, it's not good to spy on people, meow." Popoi added.

The duo then left the office and closed the door behind them. Leaving us with little to no clarity on what just happened.

"Well, that was a waste of time." I sighed and felled backward on a chair in the room. Confused and frustrated as hell.

"Well, at least we now know her name." Lidelle said as she came up and stood next to me. Not as frustrated, but just as confused.

"Oh, yeah. She did say her name. Amitie, was it? It's a nice name, I guess."

"Uh, Raffina…you're blushing."

"H-Huh?!" I then got out my pocket mirror and saw that Lidelle was right. I was blushing. And it was a very noticeable shade of red, as well. It actually took me by surprise a little. "W-Wait! Th-This isn't what it looks like, I swear!"

"Now you're blushing even more."

"Wh-What?!" I then looked at the mirror again. And she was right again. " **Damnit!** "

"You know, you actually look really cute when you blush like that. Like _**really**_ cute."

…

…

"W-Wait…what?" I asked. Completely confused on what she just said.

" **I-I-I'm sorry! I-I-I didn't mean it like that! W-W-Well, maybe a little, but it just slipped out! A-A-And you look really cute, even when you're not blushing! GAH! IT SLIPPED OUT AGAIN! I-I-I-I'M SO SORRY!** "

I continued to look at Lidelle with a lot more confusion. What she said, more like **how** she said it…it shocked me. To the point where I just had to ask.

"L-Lidelle…a-are you gay?"

…

…

"W-Well…y-yeah. I am. Although only my mother knows. I'm kinda too afraid to come out to everyone else."

"W-Wow. I-I never would've thought that you would like girls."

"A-Are you going to stop being my friend because of that?"

"Wh-What?! No, Lidelle! That's stupid! Why would **that** be my reason, if any at all?!"

"W-Well…I-I'm just asking. I-It's…happened before."

"Wait…you mean with Tarutaru?"

"I-I'm not sure about him, but people have stopped being friends with me because I would make them uncomfortable with my compliments towards them. Mainly other girls. Probably because they were starting to notice."

Damn. People were avoiding Lidelle because she's gay? I thought we as society moved passed this already. How the hell are we going backward at this point?

"Well, screw them, Lidelle. If they can't accept you for who you are, then they're not really your friends." I said while holding Lidelle's hand. She actually teared up a little. It must be the first time someone's actually said these words to her. Now I was feeling really bad for her.

"Th-Thank you…Raffina. Y-You don't know how long I've waited for someone to accept me. This really made my day."

"You're welcome, Lidelle. That's what true best friends are for. Now we should probably get to class before we're late. Wouldn't make sense since we were just talking to Ms. Accord."

" ***giggle*** Yeah, you're right."

We both finally left our teacher's oddly-spacious office and headed for our classroom. Locking the door behind us in the process.

When we got to the classroom Ms. Accord was nowhere to be found. Somehow we managed to beat her here, even though the distance from the office to the classroom is a simple straight line. The only people there were Klug (no surprise there), and Tarutaru, who for some reason (other than her sexual orientation) has been avoiding Lidelle recently. If it's not that, then what is it? Normally, I wouldn't care about something so petty. But since I became friends with Lidelle, I kinda wanna know what's with him.

 _Wow. Having a friend is really growing on me. I'm so caring now. Well…to one person, but it still counts._

Lidelle went to sit at her desk and I went to mine. Unfortunately for me, my desk is right next to Klug's. The same goody-two-shoes nuisance I fight with every damn day.

"Ah. Salutations, Raffina. Ready for another day of **NOT** being better than me? _Kyahahahaha!_ "

 _ **Grr…**_ _This boy, I swear…._

"Piss off, Klug. I'm in no mood to deal with you."

"You say that every day, yet you keep yapping your mouth like a rabid ape. So predictable of you."

"I go at it with you because you like to gossip about yourself like a dumb teenage girl on Twitter."

Then, after I said that…something came to mind.

"Oh. You wouldn't perhaps be a dumb teenage girl, would you? It would explain how you suck at anything physical."

" **Tch!** " Klug reacted the way I thought he would.

 _Ha! Got ya, you little twerp!_

"W-Well…w-why would I waste my time with something so barbaric? Brains always beat brawns. Everyone knows that. But of course, you didn't. And why would you? You spend so much time playing around in the miniature jungle you have, you wild monkey."

" **Wild monkey?! Oh, you are going to PAY…** "

"R-Raffina…" Lidelle said to me. And it's a good thing she did. I didn't want to be acting like this for whenever Amitie shows up.

"L-Like I said, I'm in no mood today." I said after calming down a bit. Turning away from looking at Klug's face.

" Hmph. Of course, you're not. After all, you _were_ almost run over this morning."

I then turned back to him with complete and utter shock.

" **Wh…What the hell?! How do** _ **you**_ **know about that?!** "

"Oh, I have my ways." He chuckled a little after saying that. It's stuff like that that really irritates me.

I thought that was the end of it. But apparently, Klug had more to say.

"You know, I was a little worried if you actually got hit or not. But now that I see you perfectly fine, I kinda wish you got some injury. That way, you won't be here and the school would be peaceful for once."

 _ **What the hell?! Did he just say that he wishes for me to get run over by a car?! The absolute NERVE of this asshole!**_

"And to think, of all people, Lidelle would be the one to save you from an untimely death. The thought of a big, no ginormous gorilla like you to be rescued by such a weak, spineless fool like her! Both of you are just pathetic excuses for human beings! Never to be as great and wonderful as me! _Kyahahahaha!_ "

At this point, I was furious, no **PISSED THE HELL OFFED** after hearing all of what that damn jerk had to say. For the first time since yesterday, I didn't care about that blonde girl. My rage and anger were entirely focused on Klug. I wanted to punch him in his smug face so bad. And I was about to do it too…but then I took a quick glance at Lidelle, who looked like she was about to cry. I managed to calm down a bit and got up in Klug's face to let him know I was serious.

"Listen, Klug. I don't give a damn about how much you like to insult me and all that, but don't you **DARE** bring Lidelle into any of your criticism spats, you hear me?! Messing with her is 10x worse than messing with me! And I'll prove it if you **EVER** say anything bad about her again! Got it?"

"S-Since when did you care about what I said about Lidelle?!"

" **Since now! Do you read me?! Or am I gonna have to explain it the physical way?!** "

" _Y-Y-Y-Yes! G-G-G-Got it…_ " Klug whimpered as he was literally shaking in his seat. He'll probably forget about this threat a couple days from now, but at least I got it through his thick skull now. That way I can easily remind him later if he oversteps his boundaries again.

The room fell silent shortly after. Lidelle was wiping away her tears and Tarutaru didn't say or react much to what just happened. That's actually the one thing normal about his weird behavior.

A minute or two had passed and we see Ms. Accord entering the classroom. Where she was the entire time I have no idea.

"Good morning, kiddies."

"Good meowing."

"Good morning, Ms. Accord." We all said in a non-energetic tone of voice.

"Today I have a special announcement for you all to hear. We're getting a new classmate starting today."

I turned over to Lidelle and knew she had the same thoughts as I did.

 _Here it is. It's about time I finally meet this girl. And find out just what is with her._

"Come on in, meow." Popoi said, turning his head towards the door.

The door opened and in came the girl that nearly got me killed this morning. The blonde girl with green eyes. Her eyes weren't puffy anymore and her blonde hair covered her ears and part of her forehead.

Her outfit was kind of basic. A white jacket over a dark-grey shirt. She wore a pair of black sweatpants and white sneakers. Lastly was the one green bracelet on her left arm near the hand. It looked little big on her, and it was a bit out of place with the outfit she was wearing.

But that didn't bother me at the moment. In fact, I didn't notice _**any**_ of the flaws she had (and she had a lot just by looking at her). I couldn't stop staring at her, just like yesterday. I even felt my hearting beating fast again. The only time it would ever get this fast is when I'm exercising at home or school. Not when I'm sitting at my desk staring at a girl I don't know.

But like I said, I couldn't stop. Not for one second.

 _So this is Amitie, huh? Wow. She's so…so…so…_

"She's _**really**_ cute isn't she, Raffina?" Lidelle whispered in my ear.

"Y-Yeah, she really is." I said while blushing a little bit. But luckily Lidelle didn't notice this time.

"Introduce yourself to the class, please." Ms. Accord told the girl.

"S-Sure." The girl stuttered a bit. She cleared her throat and proceeded to continue.

"M-My name is Amitie. I-I've recently moved here with my mom from another city. I-I hope we can all have a great year together." She finished with a bow and we started clapping.

" _Great…another girl. And she's blonde, too. Yet another idiot for me to deal with._ " Klug whispered to himself.

Or so he thought. The rest of us heard what he said. And I was about to start yelling again, when…

"Klug. Please see me after class." Ms. Accord said to him.

"Wh-What?! B-But I have scheduled study session at the library!"

"Should've thought about that before you made that insult, meow." Popoi said.

" _Ugh…_ " Klug whined a bit before slamming his head on his desk.

I wanted to laugh, but at the same time, I didn't want to stay behind either. At least not with him.

"Anyway, welcome to our class, Amitie. You can sit in that empty desk next to Raffina."

"O-Okay, Ms. Accord." She said.

 _ **Crap!**_

Amitie sat in the desk next to me and then Ms. Accord started her lesson. The entire time I felt my heart beating rapidly. I was a nervous wreck sitting next to her. I wanted this day to end already. Maybe I can fake an illness.

Someone, I managed to tough it out until the first break came along. Ms. Accord had something to take care of, so she left the room. Leaving us to do whatever we wanted until she came back. I figured it was a good time to talk to Amitie, but out of nowhere, she beat me to it.

"Hey, uh…Raffina was it?"

" **Gah!** " I jumped up a little, startled at the first move made by her.

"Ah, s-sorry! I-I didn't mean to scare you!"

"N-No, no, It's not your fault. I-I'm okay, really."

"Good. I'm glad."

We both smiled at each other, but then Amitie came close to my face with a puzzled look on hers. I started blushing darker than before. But again, nobody noticed.

"Y-You know, Raffina…you look oddly familiar. Had we met before?"

"R-Really? Th-This is my first time seeing you. Y-You must be mistaking me for someone." I said, trying to use my noble lady voice.

"You sure? Cause I feel like I've seen you somewhere before…"

"L-Like I said, y-you must be mistaking me for someone."

"Hmm…" Amitie hummed to herself. Then she gestured me to come closer to her with her hand.

"Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret." She whispered with a giggle.

"Y-You knew, huh?"

"Yeah. When I saw your face while coming in, I instantly recognized you."

"S-Sorry for spying on you."

"It's okay, Raffina. I'm sure it was an accident. And plus, you did look kinda cute jumping out of that patch of grass like that."

" **C-Cute?!** " The blushing on my face was so dark it was starting to become noticeable. Amitie started blushing too when she realized what she just said.

"I-I-I didn't mean it like that! It's just…"

"N-N-No, I get what you mean. It's just…"

We both stared at each other a little bit then started laughing at our own misuse of words.

"Well, you two seem to be getting along." I hear Lidelle say behind me.

"Yeah, thanks uh…"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't introduce myself. My name's Lidelle."

"Nice to meet you, Lidelle." Amitie replied cheerfully. "I hope the three of us can become great friends."

Lidelle and I looked at each other for a bit, then looked back at Amitie with smiles on our faces.

"Same here, Amitie." We both said.

The three of us continued to talk to each other until Ms. Accord came back into the room. We learned so much about each other. And I even have a few things in common with the two of them. I truly felt that this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.* This and the previous chapter were originally one chapter. But were made separate and given more detail in each.**_


	7. Bonding Best Friends

**Chapter 7 – Bonding Best Friends**

 **Amitie's POV**

And so, my first day of attending Primp Magic School has come and gone. And so far, I'm really having fun. Raffina and Lidelle are really good friends and they helped me a lot throughout the day. They even gave me a quick tour of the school during lunch. It included a gym, a music room, a cooking practice room, and a garden. And right now, as we were leaving the school, they were giving me some info on the other two classmates.

"So, that boy who gave out that insult on your first day is named Klug. He's basically an annoying know-it-all that will brag about his genius in your face in the most jerkish way possible! It pisses me off so much!" Raffina said, sounding a bit angry.

"W-Wow…" Was all I could say.

"Raffina and Klug hate each other. They argue with each other pretty much every day. But…it can get…a little scary sometimes." Lidelle said.

"B-But I'll start working on keeping my cool now. It won't be easy, though."

"It's okay, Raffina. I understand. I've, uh…h-had my fair share of bullies." I said.

"Really?"

"Y-Yeah. In fact, this one bully was so bad, it's the reason why I moved here. I-It…it was…" I felt like I was about to cry as I started remembering the dark memories of my past. And the other two girls noticed how sad I was getting.

"W-Wait! A-Amitie! Y-You don't have to tell us if it hurts you so badly!" Raffina panicked.

" _ ***sniff***_ _I-I don't?_ "

"No. Just know that If anyone bullies you in any way, I got your back, 'kay?"

It completely shocked me what Raffina just said to me. Not even a day and I have someone to protect me. It made me feel warm and happy inside. Two feeling that I've recently regained, and have to get used to again.

" _Th…Thanks, Raffina._ "

"No problem, Amitie. I'm only doing what friends do. And the same thing goes for you too, Lidelle."

"R-Right. Th-Thanks again, Raffina." Lidelle replied.

"Wait. You get bullied too, Lidelle? What for?" I asked her.

I then saw her blush with embarrassment as she started rubbing her right arm and looked away from us.

"I-It is too personal? I-I'm sorry if it is." Now I was the one panicking.

"N-No. I-It really isn't. I-It's just…" Lidelle did a small sigh before continuing on. "…I-I'm not getting bullied. M-More like…ignored."

"Ignored?"

"Y-You see…I-I'm…g-g-gay."

"Whoa. Really?"

"It's true. I found out this morning." Raffina added.

"Yeah. And I feel like that's the reason people have been avoiding me." Lidelle said. Going into silence afterward.

…

"Well, forget them!" I shouted.

"H-Huh?"

"Lidelle. If they can't accept you for who you really are, then they're terrible friends."

"Right? That's exactly what I told her this morning." Raffina said.

"W-Wow. T-Two in one day. I thought that I could never be this lucky."

Lidelle then suddenly grabbed the both of us and help us in a deep hug that felt like she's been holding out for so long.

" **Amitie! Raffina! Thank you both! You two are the best friends I've ever had!** "

Neither one of us said anything and just accepted the hug that our best friend was giving us.

* * *

As the three us of finally made it outside the school, we immediately noticed how colder the weather had gotten since this morning. Raffina and I were bundled up in our coats. But then we looked at Lidelle. And I finally noticed the outfit she was wearing.

"Uh…Lidelle. You're not cold in that?" I asked.

"No, not really." Lidelle answered.

"How?" Raffina asked while looking at her phone. "It's like 5°C out here."

(41°F)

"I just don't get cold when wearing these type of outfits. Much like how I don't get hot when I wear sweaters during the summer."

"You wear sweaters _**during**_ the summer?!" We both asked in shock.

"Yeah, why not? I feel just fine doing it."

"Unbelievable."

 _I wish I could withstand such weather. Lidelle must be a god._

"Geez, Lidelle. Learning all this stuff about you is like I'm first meeting you for the first time." Raffina said.

"I could say the same thing about you, Raffina. We've known each other since kindergarten yet today I saw you cry for the first time."

" **Tch!** " We then saw Raffina blushing a little. "W-Well…th-that's because I was stressed out earlier! P-Probably won't happen again! I'm too elegant to cry! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

"La-Ti-Da? What the heck does that mean?" I asked. Raffina then started blushing more.

"U-Uh…w-well…i-it's more like a weird phrase of mine. I can't really explain it. It's just something I do a lot."

" _ ***giggle***_ I see."

"Wh-What's so funny?"

"Nothing bad. It's just it's really cute to see you blush like that."

"C-Cute?!"

"I know, right? Raffina rarely blushes. So to see her do it so many times today is just so irresistible." Lidelle added.

" **C-Cut it out, you two!** " Raffina yelled. Her face was now redder than before.

"Now you're even cuter, Raffina! It's getting harder to resist how cute you are! It's too much!"

" _ **Lidelle!**_ " Raffina whined.

As that conversation was going on, an idea came to my mind. It was probably a for us to get to know each other bit better. Although, it might be a bit soon.

"Hey, guys. I got an idea. How's about we have a sleepover?"

"Huh? A sleepover?" Both girls asked.

"I mean, it could help us get to know each other more. Best friends need to know as much as possible about each other, right?"

"Yeah. That's true." Lidelle said. "Okay! I'm in!"

"Yay!" I cheered while giving her a hug.

"What about you, Raffina?" Lidelle asked her.

"Uh…well, I don't know. This, well uh…this will be my first sleepover."

"Really? You're first one?" I asked. Raffina then responded with only a simple nod.

"Well don't worry, Raffina. We'll make sure that your first sleepover will be the best one you've ever had. Right, Lidelle?"

"Yep. You won't regret it, Raffina." Lidelle said.

"Th-Thanks, guys. I'll be sure to have fun then."

"Yay!" Lidelle and I cheered as we both hugged Raffina with glee.

I wasn't sure how Lidelle was feeling about this, but for me, for some strange reason, I was feeling…happy. Like, **REALLY** happy. I wasn't sure if it was because I was having a sleepover on the day I first gained two friends, or the fact that Raffina was coming to said sleepover. But hugging her right now. It was the best feeling I've had in a while. I didn't want to let go.

" _H-Hey, you two! L-Let go already! I-It's getting tight!_ "

But I eventually had to. As Raffina was getting uncomfortable.

"Sorry." We both said as we finally let her go. When we did, however, we saw that she was blushing again. We wanted to point it out, but she stopped us before we even said a word. Which was a huge bummer.

"So what time should we come over, Amitie?" Raffina asked.

I then grew a blank look on my face.

…

"Uh…what?"

"We are having it at your house, right?"

"W-Wait, hold on! When did we agree on this?!"

"Amitie. It was your idea." Lidelle said. "And whoever makes the idea of a sleepover has to host it."

"Huh?!"

"It's the same thing when I suggest having parties at my house. It's just common courtesy." Raffina added.

 _Common courtesy?! How come I've never heard of such a rule?!_

"W-Well…okay, fine. We'll have it at my house." I finally gave in.

"Alright. And don't worry about giving directions. I can show Lidelle where it is."

"W-Wait. You memorized where my house is from just looking at it from a bush?"

"W-Well, I mean I pass by it a lot. A-And you living there makes it easier for me to remember, you know?" Raffina started blushing again.

"O-Oh. I-I see." Now I was blushing for making such accusations.

"So, we'll come by around…6:00?"

"Sounds good to me." Lidelle said. "Can't wait to see your house, Amitie."

 _Crap! The house! I completely forgot! I gotta tell them…_

"Uh, guys. There's something you should know about my house." I said nervously.

"What about it?" Raffina asked.

"W-Well…it's just that…I don't exactly have any…"extra stuff" for a sleepover."

"What, you mean futons? Don't worry, we'll bring our own." Lidelle added.

This was getting harder to explain by the minute.

"Well…no. I-It's not just that."

Raffina and Lidelle looked completely confused right now. They really didn't get where I was getting at.

"I also don't have a room. Or a couch. Or a TV. Or any food." I said in short, sweet, and to the point sentences.

The two girls just looked at each other for a little bit, then turned to face me.

"Hehhehheh…" I laughed nervously.

"Amitie…" Raffina said with a sigh.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Lidelle asked with deep concern.

"Well, y-you see…" I stuttered a bit. But then I regained the courage to continue on. "My mom and I recently went through a bad event. So when we moved here, we threw away all of our old furniture. And as of right now we can't any new furniture. So all we got are a few clothes, our toothbrushes, two futons, and a bunch of instant ramen."

"Instant ramen?" They both asked.

"My mom loves eating them. It's her favorite thing to eat."

" _Oh._ "

There was dead silence between the three of us. I had no idea what they were thinking, which made my heart pounding in fear.

"Well…" Raffina said after a half minute of silence.

"Well, what?" I asked.

"I'll just have to pitch in a little to make this sleepover weekend even more special! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

"Huh? Pitch in?"

"Oh right, Raffina. You can probably fix that problem, right?" Lidelle asked.

"Yep! Sure can, Lidelle!"

"Wait, what is going on here? What are you guys talking about?" I was all sorts of confused.

All Raffina and Liddle did was smile and wink at me. Saying:

"It's a secret."

Before running off away from me. Telling me they'll see me tonight for the sleepover. I have no idea what they're planning all of a sudden. And I didn't have the slightest guess for it, either.

"Guess I better tell Mom that we're hosting a sleepover." I said to myself as I continued my walk home.

* * *

When I got finally got home, I saw Mom sitting on her futon working on her computer. Possibly working on her book. Still can't believe that she used to write light novels back in high school. It's something I wouldn't expect from her.

"Hey, Mom. I'm home." I said.

"Oh, hey Ami. How was your first day of school?"

"It was super great! I had so much fun here! I already made two new friends and we're having a sleepover! Super excited!"

"Really now? If that's the case, why didn't you just go with them?"

At that point, I had a sweatdrop moment.

" _Hehhehheh…_ "

"Hehhehheh, what?" Already, Mom didn't look amused.

"Well…th-the sleepover was kinda my idea. And I kinda didn't know about this rule about hosting events that you come up with. So now, they're coming here for the sleepover."

"What?!"

"A-And I kinda told them we don't have any stuff. So now they went off to do who knows what."

"Ami…"

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I didn't want to lie to them."

"I get that, but…"

"And besides, they said it was a surprise and for me to wait until they get here tonight."

"A surprise, huh?"

"Yep. And I bet it's going to be so super-duper!"

Mom didn't say much of anything for a little while. Which had me a bit worried.

"You're not mad, are you?" I asked.

"No, Ami. I'm not mad. Just don't go spilling our secrets to the entire town. Not everyone needs to know about them."

"Well, technically…they don't know it completely. All I said was it was a bad event and they took it without question."

"Huh. I see. But still, keep it to yourself."

"Alright."

"And besides, I wanna see what this "super-duper surprise" of theirs is."

"The air quotes weren't necessary, Mom." I sounded insulted.

"Oh, I know." Mom said with a cheeky grin.

"Meanie."

"Silly."

 _Guess that was payback from earlier._

"Anyway, I going to take a bath. If my friends get here, could you let them in?"

"Yeah, sure Ami." Mom said as she went back to work on her computer.

"Thanks, Mom."

I grabbed whatever clothes I could use for pajamas and went in the bathroom to take a bath. I was so excited for this sleepover to begin. It was going to be super wicked!

…

 _Great. Now I'm coming up with weird phrases._

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.***_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **The original continues its reboot! I'll tell ya, writing this again brings back memories writing this for the first time almost a year ago. At the time, I didn't think that two sequels would follow after this one. Just wanted to thank you all again for the support for this series. Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	8. Raffina's First Sleepover

**Chapter 8 – Raffina's First Sleepover**

 **Raffina's POV**

 _W-Wow. M-My first sleepover. W-With actual friends._ _ **BEST**_ _friends, even. I-I can't believe this is actually happening. I know I've said that I was "too damn elegant" for friends._

 _B-But…_

… _With Lidelle saving my life and meeting Amitie for the first time, I feel like…_

 _Like…_

 _Like a huge hole in my heart has been patched up._

…

…

Oh, God. I'm getting **WAY** too emotional. Like one of those cheesy 80's shows that teaches you a life lesson at the end of every episode. That honestly annoyed me to no end.

Anyway, I had just made it home after Lidelle and I left Amitie hanging without explaining what exactly that I'm going to do for her. Yes, I felt bad for basically ditching her in the middle of the block like that. But I was positive it will be all worth it.

Besides, when did anything I planned ever go wrong? _Oh, La-Ti-Da!  
_

"I'm home!" I yelled as I walked inside my family's mansion. Normally, I would get some kind of response from somebody here. But this time, I didn't get anything like that.

And I was starting to get some thoughts on why that is.

"Hello?!" I yelled again.

No response.

"I said I'm home!"

Nothing.

" **Yo! Amira!** "

Dead silent.

" _ ***sigh***_ Goddamn it." I said to myself as I went looking for the one person who's normally here at this time.

And after 10 minutes of searching, I found said person in the lounge area. Laying on the couch fast asleep with her headphones on. No doubt blasting in each ear.

This clearly got me angry. Not just because she was sleeping this whole time, but the fact that I passed this room like 3 times before and never noticed her until now. How does that even happen?!

"Hey. Amira. Wake up." I said while shaking her body as hard as I can.

" _H-Huh?_ " Amira woke up and saw me standing over her. "Oh. Hey, Sis. Didn't know you were home."

"Of course, you didn't. You're all the way in the back of the mansion in a deep sleep with music blasting in your ears. You might as well enclose yourself in a metal box while you're at it." I said, sounding annoyed.

"Geez. I'm sorry, alright? I get tired from doing all that crap at school _**AND**_ run the shop. Give me a break."

"Oh, boo-hoo. I feel so sorry for you. Want me to play a sad song on the world's smallest violin or something?"

"Oh, that was _**real**_ ly funny, Raffina." Amira said sarcastically. Clearly insulted by that last statement.

I should probably explain who it is I'm insulting right now, huh? Well, this is my older sister Amira. She's 21-years-old and studying fashion at the community college here. We look similar to each other, both having pink hair and light-blue eyes. But Amira's hair is longer and straighter than mine. And like all little sisters should, I do love and admire her.

 **BUT…** she's extremely lazy and immature. I always have to fix whatever mess she gets herself (or worse, the whole family) into. It's a huge annoyance, but she's my sister. So I can't really stay mad at her like how I am with Klug. But if there's one thing we could possibly relate on…is that we're both elegant, graceful, and powerful!

It's just I'm a little more mature.

"So, where's Lily? Did she leave?" I asked.

"Uh…I think. I was listening to my music when she left."

" _ ***sigh***_ Of course, you were." I facepalmed.

"I'm home!" We heard a voice coming from the front of the mansion.

"In here, Lily!" I said.

Lily is our maid that also lives with us. She's been taking care of us ever since we were little due to our parents always traveling for…who knows what. She herself is a beautiful woman who I guess is around the same age as Ms. Accord (however old she is). She has long, brown hair, brown eyes, and a slim body.

She's a really nice and caring person. But she does have that mean side of her. A side that Amira and I tend to not go to.

"Geez, there you two are. Why are you all the way in the back of the mansion?" Lily asked as she entered the lounge area. Seemingly carrying a bag of groceries.

"Not sure. Ask Amira. I found her here." I answered.

"It's a really comfy couch, okay?" Amira said. "When I came home, I plopped myself onto this couch and fell asleep from being so tired."

"Miss Amira. You have a bed. In your room."

" _But it's too far, Lily._ "

"It's literally around the corner." I added.

" _It's "around the corner" too far, Sis._ "

Lily and I just sighed out of annoyance.

"Look, Amira. I don't have time to deal with your laziness today. I have somewhere to go and I need to pack a few things."

"Somewhere to go? Where are you going, Miss Raffina?" Lily asked.

"I'm going to a sleepover with my friends at one of their houses."

That's when both Lily and Amira stared at me with complete and utter shock.

"Why are you two staring at me like that?" I asked.

"No reason." Lily said. "It's just…"

"Holy crap, you got friends?"

" **Hey!** " I felt insulted.

"Miss Amira!"

"What? One of us had to ask." Amira said with a shrug.

" **Honestly! I can't believe you two got used to me not having friends!** "

"Well, Miss Raffina. You did say multiple time before that you're " _too damn elegant to be friends with any of these plebs._ ". We eventually just took you seriously.

"But now that you have some, you're starting to look like a hypocrite." Amira added.

"W-Well…p-people change, alright? Even someone like me can have friends."

"If you say so, Sis."

"If you say so, Miss Raffina."

 _They still don't believe me, do they?_

"Now, if you excuse me, I have to go pack a bag." I said as I headed out the room. But when I got to the doorway, I remembered something that I wanted to do. And I needed a little help.

"Hey, Lily. Do you think I could get just a _little_ extra for my allowance?"

"Seriously? You already get ¥165,501 a week. Why do you need more?"

($1500)

"Well…the friend whose house that I'm sleeping over with doesn't really have…well, let's just say "much". I just want to help her out a little."

"You? Helping people?"

"Who are you and what have you done to my little sister?" Amira asked.

"Geez, you two! It's like you think that I can't change!"

" _Well…_ " They both said.

"You know what, just forget it. I'm good with the money I have now." I said as I finally left the room. I'll just have to prove to them that I can be nice to other people **AND** have friends, too.

Not now. But sooner or later.

* * *

After being insulted by my sister and my maid, I went to my room and packed a bag with some clothes, my toothbrush, some stuff for my hair, and other miscellaneous things. When I was done with that, I had to think of something to give to Amitie. And now counting the money I have leftover, I don't have as much as I thought I had.

" _Damn. I knew that extra dress was a bit pricey. What do I do now?_ "

As I starting looking around my room, digging through the back of my walk-in closet, I came across an old box that gathered a ton of dust over time. I cleared some of it to the point where I was able to see the front of it.

Printed on the box was…

" _Super Famicom_ …The hell is this thing? I don't remember getting this."

Then an idea came to me. A great one, in fact.

"Ah-ha! I'll just give this to Amitie! I may have no use for whatever this thing is, but I'm sure she'll find a way! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

I placed the box inside my bag and carried it out of my room and through the mansion until I reached the dining room where Amira and Lily were.

"I'm leaving." I said. "I'll be back on Sunday."

"Alright, Miss Raffina." Lily said.

"Have fun with these friends that you somehow got, Sis." Amira said.

" _I'm going to pretend you didn't say that._ " I said. Insulted once again as I headed out the front door.

* * *

I remember telling Lidelle that we would meet up at the intersection between our houses and we would walk to Amitie's together since she hasn't seen her house yet.

About 10 minutes after I left home, I met up with Lidelle and we began walking together. She was still wearing the clothes from earlier. And with it being colder in the evenings this time of year, it blew my mind even more that she isn't the tiniest bit cold while wearing something like that.

 _Wow. Lidelle's a lot bolder with fashion than I thought._

"So did you get anything for Amitie?" Lidelle asked. "I couldn't do much in the last minute. So I'll offer to cook breakfast tomorrow."

"Wait, you can cook?" I asked in shock.

"Yeah. Who do you think made all those dishes during the school-wide Christmas party?"

"That was **YOU?!** "

"Sure was. Delicious, wasn't it?"

"Holy crap. Those were the best meals I've ever eaten. My mouth watered _**while**_ I was eating it."

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you, Raffina." Lidelle looked really happy that someone complimented her on her cooking. And I wasn't lying when I said all that, either. It was so damn good! I wish I had some right now.

"So, what did you get her?" Lidelle asked.

"Oh, I just got her this weird thing that I found in my closet. I have no idea what it is. So maybe she can use it."

"That's terrible gift-giving."

"Well, I would've gone and bought something…but I spent all my money."

"On what?"

"Clothes, shoes, jewelry, make-up, _**other**_ stuff that girls our age need."

"Wait, when you say " _ **other**_ stuff", do you mean… _ **those**_ stuff?"

"Yeah. _**Those**_ stuff."

We both sighed as we began thinking what _**those**_ stuff include.

"Being a teenage girl sucks." Lidelle said.

"Yeah. Definitely. Let's try not to think of _**those**_ things tonight. Agree?"

"Agree."

* * *

After another block or two, we reached Amitie's house and were standing in front of the front door. And while I was revamping memories of how I first saw the blonde girl, Lidelle had a skeptical look on her face.

"Uh…Raffina. Isn't this the house that been abandoned for 10 years?" she asked.

"Yeah." I answered. "What about it?"

"Well, it's just that…with a house that's been empty for nearly a decade, it has to be absolutely filthy, don't you think?"

I thought about it and realized that she was right. The house must be extremely dirty with it being empty for that long.

"Yeah…I never thought of that. Poor Amitie."

"Was this the only vacant house?"

"Possibly. I guess they were just out of luck when moving here."

"Yeah, looks like it."

As I said that, something came to mind. A really odd question that I never bothered asking myself until now.

"Hey, Lidelle. Do you think there's a reason why Amitie moved here during the second half of school?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lidelle had a puzzled look on her face.

"Well, it's just…when I first saw Amitie, her eyes were really swollen and red. Like she was crying the whole way here. It kinda has me concerned."

"Concerned? Do you think something bad happened to her?" Lidelle sounded worried. I then paused for a moment, then shook my head.

"N-No. Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"R-Raffina…"

"Come on. I'm fine, really."

"Well…If you say so." Lidelle wasn't really sure about my current mood. But she didn't question it anymore as I knocked on the front door and we waited for Amitie to answer.

When the door opened though, the person standing in front of us wasn't Amitie. It was the older girl that I remember seeing. Possibly her sister. She was wearing a pink t-shirt and some black sweatpants with a white skull on the left pants leg. Her hair was longer than Amitie's, but they both had the same mesmerizing green eyes. I couldn't stop staring. Not only were those eyes so beautiful, but I felt like they hold a story of some kind.

"Oh. You two must be Ami's friends. Come in, come in. She just got out the bath." Said the girl.

Lidelle and I turned to look at each other with confusing looks on our faces then faced the girl again.

"Uh…Ami?" We both said in unison.

"Oh sorry. That's just a nickname I gave her. You can call her that if you want. Betcha she won't mind."

"Oh, well…thank you for letting us stay here for the weekend, ma'am." I said.

"Y-Yes, thank you, ma'am." Lidelle said with an added bow.

"Aw, don't mention it." The older girl replied, waving her hands side by side in a frantic manner.

The older girl led us inside the house and, just as Lidelle and I thought, it was dirty to the extent. There were dust and cobwebs all over the place. Luckily the cobwebs didn't have any spiders on them. The kitchen cabinets were nearly off their hinges. And the sink had what looked like rust but smelled like mold all around it. The backyard had grass so tall, I wouldn't be surprised if a few Onion Pixies were living there.

 _Especially that damn original one._

We were brought into what we think is the living room where the older girl sat on one of the two futons while we sat on our bags.

"Sorry about the mess." The girl spoke up. "We were going to clean up a little, but then Ami told me about this sleepover not to long ago and I figure you girls would rather be having fun than to clean."

"Ah well, about that…" I was about to explain something, but a familiar voice interrupted me.

"Hey, guys! You're here!" Amitie said as she walked in the living space. She was wearing a white t-shirt and grey shorts, and her hair was covering part of her face from being wet.

"Hi, Amitie!" We were happy to see her even though we just saw each other about an hour ago.

"So, what were you guys talking about?" Amitie asked as she sat on the other futon joining our conversation.

"Well…" I said. "We were going to explain something with your sister about the condition of your house, but then you…"

I then stopped once I noticed the confusing looks on Amitie and the older girl's faces. I felt like I made a huge mistake.

"Sister?" They asked.

"Isn't this your sister?"

The older girl then started laughing.

"Aw. I'm flattered that you think that. But I'm actually Ami's mother." She said.

" **H…HER MOTHER?!** " Lidelle and I both yelled in shock.

"Geez, guys. Is it _**that**_ much of a shock?" Amitie got a little annoyed.

"Sorry, Amitie. It's just that she looks so young." I apologetically said.

"Yeah. I thought she was 18 or something." Lidelle added.

" _ ***giggle***_ Aw, thanks. I get that a lot." Amitie's mom said with one eye closed and while holding a peace sign.

"Mom…stop." Amitie said with an embarrassingly annoyed look on her face.

"Well, sorry for the misunderstanding, Ms. Amitie's Mom." Lidelle said.

"Come on. You don't have to call me that. Just call me Melody."

" _ **Melody?!**_ " This time, all three of us yelled in shock.

"Yep. That's my name."

"How come you're _**now**_ telling me what your first name is?" Amitie asked Melody.

"You never asked, Ami."

"I feel like that should be like the second most important thing I should know about my own mother."

"Really? What's number one then?"

"Really, Mom? We're doing this again?"

"I'm just screwing with you, Ami."

Amitie then sighed while facepalming her entire face.

 _Wow. Amitie's mom reminds me a lot of Amira. I really hope those two don't ever meet._

"So, anyway…are these the friends you were talking about?"

"Yep. Sure are."

"My name's Raffina." I said.

"My name's Lidelle. Nice to meet you, Melody." Lidelle said with a bow.

"Such nice girls. _Guess there still are nice people out in the world…_ "

"Huh?" We both were confused.

" _Mom!_ " Amitie whispered to her mom while nudging her shoulder. "Ah, it's nothing. You guys wanna use the bath? I'll tell ya…despite how the rest of the house looks, it's pretty clean."

"Uh…okay." Lidelle answered.

"I could use a bath, anyway." I added.

 _What was that all about? She guesses that there are still nice people out in the world? Now I'm really convinced that something happened. But what? Should I ask?_

…

 _M-Maybe not now…_

* * *

Soon after the introductions, Lidelle and I both took our baths changed into our Pajamas. Lidelle had on a green tee and a pair of green shorts. Now I was really starting to notice how much she loves that color. I had on one of my elegant pink nightgowns. It looked really cute on me…

…And it was expensive. That's probably why I'm out of money right now.

"So what were these secrets that you two kept me in the dark about?" Amitie asked.

"Well…" Lidelle started off. "I couldn't get anything due to it being last minute. So I would like to offer myself to cook breakfast tomorrow."

"Wh-What?!" Melody reacted. "C-Come on. Th-That's not really necessary. I mean you're our guests."

"Aw, come on, Mom. Why not? It's a free breakfast." Amitie said.

"Plus, Lidelle's a really good cook. Her food is super good." I added.

"Really now?" Melody still a bit unsure about the idea of having a house guest cook food for her. But after the three of us convinced her enough, she eventually gave in.

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright." She said.

"Thank you, Melody. I promise you'll enjoy every meal." Lidelle said.

"Uh…don't you mean every _**bite**_?" I asked.

"Well…you could say that."

We didn't get what she meant by that, so we just left it alone. For now.

"So what did you get me, Raffina?" Amitie asked.

"Uh, well…I found this thing in my closest earlier and I had no idea what it is. Figured that you could use it." I started digging through my bag and brought the box out to show everyone.

I then noticed that not only Amitie's eyes lit up with joy, but Lidelle's did too. I was starting to think that they know what this thing is.

" **OH MY GOD! IS THAT A SUPER FAMICOM?!** " Amitie shouted.

" **NO WAY! IT REALLY IS ONE! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!** " Lidelle shouted.

And I was right.

"So you two know what this thing is?" I asked.

" **This thing?!** " Amitie sounded insulted. " **Raffina, this is one of the greatest video game systems of all time!** "

" **They've stopped making these years ago and the ones online are super expensive.** " Lidelle added.

"Huh. Interesting."

" **Look, Mom! I got one! I finally got a Super Famicom!** "

"Yes, Ami. I see. Now you can quit bugging me to get you one." Melody replied.

" **Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, RAFFINA! THIS IS THE BEST GIFT EVER!** " Amitie continued cheering as she suddenly started hugging me.

I then felt my heart beating rapidly. It's only been a day since I met this girl and she's hugging me out of pure excitement.

And to be honest, this hug made me really excited.

I slowly wrapped my arms around her mid-waist. Her skin was so soft and smooth. I had strong urges to rub her back, but I resisted them all. Her hair smelled like a sweet berry blend of a cake made fresh out the oven. The relaxing feel of her bare neck touching mine, the aroma of her hair from the shampoo she clearly used. I don't know why, but I feel like I'm in everlasting heaven.

 _S-So this…this is what it feels like. To make someone else happy. It…it feels good. Really good, actually. I don't know why I haven't done this earlier. I was clearly missing out.  
_

"Y-You're welcome…A-Amitie." I said in a nervous and embarrassed state.

* * *

After we ate dinner (Amitie wasn't kidding when she said that all they had was instant ramen), Amitie and Lidelle showed me what this Super Famicom thing was. It apparently had a bunch of games already on it. And it made the two girls even happier.

" **Oh my God! It's a Super Famicom Classic!** " Amitie cheered.

" **These sold out almost immediately last year! I can't believe we're actually about to play on it!** " Lidelle cheered as well.

 _Last year? Did I seriously buy this thing and not remember doing so?_

"Well, I'm glad you two like it." I said.

Soon after that (and by "soon", I mean like 3 hours), we decided to call it a night. We each said our goodnights to each other and went to sleep.

Well…three of us did.

I was up for an extra 20 minutes waiting for my heart to beat at a normal pace. As I was still a bit too happy from that hug Amitie gave me earlier. But when I thought it was finally okay for me to sleep, I got blindsided.

I felt Amitie wrap her hands around my waist and started to cuddle against me. My heart was beating triple time! I didn't know what to do! Do I wake her up?!

But then all of a sudden, I started hearing Amitie talk in her sleep.

" _Mmmm, Raffina…_ "

" _Sh-She said my name…_ " I whispered to myself.

" _Th-Thank you…Raffina…_ " I then felt her grip get even tighter.

My heart subsided back to a normal pace after hearing that. And I grew a small but peaceful smile on my face.

" _ ***giggle***_ _You're welcome…Amitie._ "

With those as my last words of the day, I closed my eyes and decided to finally get some sleep.

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.***_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **I decided to move Lily to be debuted here instead of Tsu. I'll have to edit the chapter she first appeared in at a later date. Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.  
**


	9. Egg-Scented Awkwardness

**Chapter 9 – Egg-Scented Awkwardness**

 **Amitie's POV**

It was the next morning and it already started off embarrassing. When I woke up I realized I was cuddling up against Raffina. It took me by surprise because I didn't even realize it…

…until Raffina woke me up.

I kept apologizing to her…and meant it every time, too. She accepted every "I'm sorry" that came out of my mouth. But I can tell she was embarrassed as well. With how she was blushing throughout the whole thing.

"Well. That was an interesting thing to wake up to." Lidelle said.

"Yeah, Ami. I didn't know you were a cuddler." Mom added.

" **I-I'm not a cuddler!** " I yelled. "I-I really don't know how that happened. Neither do I know why."

"Must've been a _**really**_ nice dream you had."

 _ **The hell does she mean by that?!**_

"You know, they say that sometimes a dream can represent something that you really want in real life." Lidelle said. "Maybe your dream meant something, Amitie."

"Yeah…I guess."

 _But if it does, then what? I was cuddling Raffina last night…so maybe it's something to do with her?_

 _ ***sigh***_ _I rather not think about it right now._

"So you said that you were going to make us breakfast, Lidelle?" I asked.

"Yeah. And I really don't mind, either. I really love to cook. Just as much as I love to eat."

"And, uh…how much _**do**_ you love to eat?" Raffina asked.

"Well…if I have to put it on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say…100."

" **Th-That's not even within range!** "

"I know. I just love eating."

The rest of us looked at her with mild looks of shock.

 _Whoa. According to her, she eats a lot. Yet, she has such a tiny fit body…what's her secret?_

"Well, anyway…" She continued. "I looked around the kitchen, and it looks like you guys didn't buy groceries yet."

"Yeah, we're kinda tight with money right now. Can't really afford much." Mom said.

"That's why we've been eating instant ramen since we moved here." I added.

"Now that I think about it, we don't have any cleaning supplies, either. So we can't even clean this dump of a house."

"Oh, yeah." I sounded sad.

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

 _Aw, geez. Poor Amitie. Living in a dirty house with nothing to eat but instant ramen. I feel bad for her. I want to help, but I don't have much money to spare…_

…

… _W-Well. N-Now that I think about it…I-I kinda do._

I went digging in my bag to find the pants I was wearing yesterday. Inside one of the pockets was my wallet. And inside of there…was a credit card that I was giving to right before my parents left. Lily had told me to only use it for emergencies and not for the multiple shopping sprees I tend to do.

Now I admit, I've used it for a few non-emergency-related stuff in the past. But luckily, Lily doesn't know about them. I'm not sure how much money is on this thing. But knowing my family's lifestyle, it's probably a lot.

 _It should be okay, right?_

"Uh…hey, guys."

"Yeah, Raffina? What's up?" Amitie asked.

"Well…I've got some money on this credit card right here. Maybe you can use it to…I don't know, get stuff for breakfast or something…"

" **R-Really?! Y-You really mean that?!** "

"I mean, I guess. I am pretty hungry."

"I-I don't think that's necessary, Raffina." Melody said. "But thanks, though."

" **Wh-What?! Come on, Mom! Someone's willing to buy us groceries!** "

"Yeah. But that _**someone**_ is a 16-year-old girl. People are going to start rumors about me."

 _I see now. She's worried that people will think she's a bad mother._

"How about this, then. You guys can take the card and go buy what you need. And then you pay with the card yourselves."

"R-Really?"

"Sure. I really don't mind at all."

Melody looked at me with a look of complete shock for a bit before finally taking the credit card out from my hands.

"W-Wow. Th-Thank you, Raffina. Th-This is…th-the nicest thing anyone's done to us in a while."

"Huh? The nicest in a while?" Lidelle and I asked.

"U-Uh, that was nothing! I-I was just saying nonsense! R-Right, Ami?!"

"Y-Yeah! M-Mom tends to say random stuff a lot! I-It's a habit of hers!" Amitie said in the same panicky voice as her mother.

"Um…okay?" We both thought of the way their acting to be kinda weird. But in the end, we decided to just let it go.

For now, at least.

* * *

 **Amitie's POV**

Soon after that, Mom went to the store to buy some food and cleaning supplies. Lidelle offered to go with her so she can show her where the store is. So they both ended up going. Leaving me alone with Raffina.

The house was…quiet after they left. Well…more like "dead silent" from the sudden awkwardness that was building inside me. I was still feeling bad for cuddling Raffina in my sleep. And being alone with her right now is making me a nervous wreck. I'm even too nervous to talk to her. Let alone move an inch.

…

B-But…we can't just sit here in silence the entire time, now can we?

 _ ***sigh***_ _Here I go…_

"Uh…h-hey. R-Raffina?" I broke the silence.

"Yeah, Amitie?" Raffina asked.

"W-Well…I-I'm sorry for snuggling up against you last night. It was an accident, I swear."

"O-Oh...Th-That." Now Raffina was blushing a little from possibly remembering that event from earlier.

 _Aw, fiddlesticks! Nice going, idiot!_

"N-No need to apologize. I'm not mad or anything. I mean, you were asleep, after all."

"Y-Yeah. Right."

" _And, uh…besides…I-I, uh…r-really enjoyed it…_ "

"Huh?"

" **N-Nothing! I-I didn't say anything! Promise!** "

" **O-Okay! I believe you!** " I shouted back in shock.

…

…

"S…Sorry for yelling." Raffina said silently.

"I-It's okay. Really."

 _I could've sworn Raffina whispered something just now, but I'll let it go for now. Don't want to make this moment more awkward._

"A-Anyway…so how far is the store from here?" I asked.

"Well, you'll have to go the plaza to get there. Which is where all the other stores are."

"Other stores? Like what?"

"Well, there's this clothing store everybody goes to. But the owner there can be a little…opinionated."

"Opinionated?"

"He likes to force his fashion sense onto everyone else. And most of the time the outfits he gives out are tacky and don't even match."

"Aw, geez."

"Yeah. It's that bad. But there are some instances where the outfit he picks out works out."

"I see. What else is there?"

"Just you're standard stuff. A couple restaurants, a park, tiny shops. Oh, and there's this _**really**_ cute jewelry store that sells all kinds of necklaces and earrings."

"Really?!"

"Yeah. And well…about that store…. My family actually owns that store. Which is how we get so much money."

" **Get real?! Can we go there sometime?!** " I asked while sounding like an excited little kid.

 _Which isn't that far off from my normal personality, to be honest._

"Hmm…how about tomorrow?"

" **Oh, I'm SO in! Thanks a lot, Raffina!** "

Without thinking, I lunged at Raffina and wrapped my arms around her. Embracing her in a hug. Eventually, I felt her hands wrap around me. And together we sat there hugging each other for a good while.

I wasn't entirely sure **EXACTLY** how long we've been hugging, but at that moment…I didn't really care. The peachy scent of her hair and her soft, smooth skin was so comforting, that I never wanted it to end. I haven't felt this relaxed since before coming here to this town. Never thought it would take me hugging another girl for me to feel this way, either.

It was…kinda nice. Like a new feeling has rushed itself inside my body. And even my heart was beating faster than normal.

Then, for some strange reason, I looked at Raffina. And she looked at me. It ended up being a staring contest for a while. A good while, to be exact.

…

…

But then…

"We're back!" I heard Mom yell.

" **GAH!** " We both shouted in a panicked state as we quickly let go of each other.

" **I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!** " Were the only things coming out of our mouths.

"Huh? What are you two apologizing for?" Lidelle asked.

We both looked at each other with light-red blushed cheeks before turning away from each other in an instant.

"N-Nothing." We both said.

…

"Uh…Okay." Lidelle said. Not understanding anything that's happening right now. "I'll go, uh…start on breakfast."

The both of us went dead silent after that. Not saying a word throughout breakfast. Not even a glare. It was just so nerve-wracking do so for some reason.

 _Why? Why am I feeling this way? To a friend that I just made yesterday?_ _ **To another girl?!**_

 _Just what the heck is going on?_

About an hour later, Lidelle had finished making breakfast and we were, uh…shocked…to see what she had made.

Each of us had a really tall stack of pancakes that looked like it alone would get me full. Next to that was a bowl of scrambled eggs. Yes, **AN ENTIRE BOWL** of that stuff. There was also a fluffy, thick toast with butter, some slices of ham (with **EVEN MORE EGGS!** ), a green salad, and something else that I didn't expect to see.

 _Wait, is that an onsen tamago?! How the heck does she know what_ _ **that**_ _is?!_

"W-Wow, Lidelle." Raffina said. "Th-This is…"

"Damn. What a spread." Mom said.

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you, everyone. I did say that I love to cook." Lidelle said.

"Yeah, but…it never came to mind that you could cook _**this**_ much." I said.

"Yeah, sorry about that. My appetite kinda took over while I was cooking. It happens a lot."

 _ **This**_ _happens a lot?! Does her family eat this much too?!_

"Well. Here goes." I said as I started taking a bite of the many things on this old table right now.

…

…

"W-Woah. Th-This is… **this is SOOO delicious!** " I shouted with glee.

"Really?" Mom asked as she took a bit of the food.

…

…

" **W-Woah! This stuff really is good!** "

"See? I told you guys." Raffina said. "Lidelle's cooking is the absolute best."

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you, everyone." Lidelle sounded happy that we liked her cooking. I bet it rose her self-esteem a little bit. What with what she's dealing with right now.

 _It must hard going around thinking people hate you because you're gay. I feel really bad for her._

We were having a great time together. Eating together and talking about random stuff. It was great…

…Until Mom up something from earlier that I was trying to forget.

"So what was with you two when we came back from the store?"

" **Tch!** " Both Raffina and I froze up with nervousness. Our faces were bright red and it was hard to look at each other once again.

"N-Nothing, Mom! It was absolutely nothing!" I yelled.

"Really? Cause it looks like something to me."

"It's nothing, Mom!"

"Then why are both of your faces red?" Lidelle asked.

 _Seriously, Lidelle?! Now you're asking questions?!_

"Oh, I get it now. _Perhaps you two did some "adult stuff" while we were gone, huh?_ " Mom said with an added wink.

" **MOM!** " It didn't take long for me to figure out what she meant by that. And I was more embarrassed and now a bit mad that she suggested that.

"Okay, okay. I get it."

Geez, Mom can be so persistent sometimes. Her constant interrogating and immaturity is the reason why I can't any secrets from her. It's so annoying!

But…then again…

"H-Hey, Mom. C-Can I talk to you for a second? I-In private?"

Mom found this request to be a bit random, but she didn't question it much after that. And agreed to it as we went to the back of the house in one of the empty rooms and closed the door behind me.

"So what's up, Ami? You okay?" Mom asked.

"W-Well…wh-while you two were gone…s-something did happen."

" _Ooh. So I was right about the "adult stuff" huh? Didn't think you had it in ya, Ami._ "

" _ **It wasn't like that!**_ " I yelled with a bit of anger inside me.

"Oh. Well, that sucks."

 _I'm not going to question that…_

"But…what happened kinda involves Raffina…"

"Huh? How? What happened?"

"Well…when you and Lidelle were out, Raffina and I were talking."

"Okay…"

"She was telling me about the different stores here in Primp."

"Uh-huh…"

"And when she told me that she would take us to see them, I kinda got excited and…"

"And…?"

I paused for a moment cause my embarrassment was on maximum overdrive. My cheeks were flushed with redness. They were about as red as a freshly ripped apple. I felt my words stuttering so hard it was hurting my throat a little. I knew I had to tell her, I mean I already said so much. So, I took a deep breath and just spat it out.

" **Raffina and I actually hugged!** "

…

…

"That's it?" Mom asked with a puzzled look.

" **Huh?! What do you mean** " **That's it?** " **?!** "

"I mean, it was just a simple hug. Why are you getting worked up over it?"

…

" _W-Well…i-it was a long one. A-And when we noticed what had happened, we were too embarrassed to even look at each other._ "

" _ ***Pssh***_ "

"Don't _***Pssh***_ this! I'm serious!"

"Ami. You're just overreacting. Hugging another girl is nothing to be weirded out about."

Then Mom went silent for a bit.

"Well…unless you suddenly gained feelings for said girl. Then it's a whole different story."

"Huh? Gained feelings?"

"Well, what I mean is…"

And just like last time, as Mom was about to answer, her phone rang and she picked it up to answer that instead of my question.

"Seriously?! Again?!" I got upset.

"Hold on, Ami." She said to me. "Hello?"

" _Why aren't you at work yet?_ "

"Seriously? You're calling because of that? What happened to a simple "hello"?"

" _Hello. Why aren't you at work yet?_ "

"Hilarious." Mom sounded annoyed.

" _I taught her everything I know, meow._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever. I'm leaving now."

" _Alright. Bye._ "

Mom then hung up the phone and sighed once more before looking back at me.

"Sorry, Ami. I gotta get to work."

"B-But what about my problem?" I asked.

"Uh…Google it! He knows everything!"

 _Google's a male?_

"See ya."

As Mom left the room, I did take what she said into mind. Not the whole "Google being a guy" part. I mean the stuff before it. It was such a random thing for her to say…but it kinda made sense.

 _But…is it possible? For me to like a girl?_

It was really something for me to think about.

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

Soon after Amitie took Melody to the back of the house to talk, I turned to Lidelle with an embarrassed look on my face. Hoping that I could do the same.

"H-Hey Lidelle. C-Can we talk for a sec?" I asked nervously.

"Sure, Raffina. What's up?" Lidelle sat down next to me as I tried to collect my thoughts. I didn't really know how to explain this, so I just went with whatever words came to mind.

"W-Well…uh…wh-when you and Melody were at the store, something did happen with Amitie and me…"

"Wait, really? So Melody was right about the "adult stuff"?"

" **What?! No! Lidelle! Nothing like that happened!** "

"Oh. Well…that kinda sucks."

 _How does that…n-never mind._

"But what did happened…kinda involves Amitie."

"Really? How?"

"Well…while the two of you were gone, Amitie and I were talking…"

"Okay…"

"I told her about the different stuff to do at the plaza…"

"Go on…"

"And when I told her I would show her around tomorrow, she was so happy that she…"

"That she what?"

At that moment I stopped talking. I felt my cheeks burning like I ate a chili pepper or something. I was so embarrassed on actually saying this, but I don't know who else to talk to about this. So, I took a deep breath and just said it.

" **Amitie and I actually hugged each other!** "

…

…

"That's it?" Lidelle asked with a puzzled look.

" **Huh?! What do you mean** " **That's it?** " **?!** "

"I mean, it was just a simple hug. Why are you getting worked up over it?"

…

"Raffina?"

" _W-Well…i-it was a long one. A-And when we noticed what had happened, we were too embarrassed to even look at each other._ "

"O-Oh. Okay. I think I understand now."

"Really? You do?"

"Yes. It is one of those "adult stuff" after all.

" _ **Will you quit saying that?!**_ " I yelled with a bit of anger inside me.

"Anyway. I don't think I can help you, Raffina."

"Huh?! Why the hell not?! I thought we were best friends!"

"We are best friends! And, uh…I do have a theory on this. But honestly, it's too early for me to tell."

"What is it?"

"U-Uh…w-well…" Lidelle went back to her stuttering trait as she tried to say what it was that she thinks is upsetting me.

"I think it's because you've gained feelings for Amitie."

…

…

"What?" Was all I was able to say.

"L-Like I said, it's too early to tell."

"Wait, hold on! Me?! Having feelings for Amitie?! B-But I'm not a lesbian!"

I then went silent for a little bit.

" _W-Well…a-at least I think I'm not._ "

"It's best not to think about it right now. It was confusing for me when I first started to realize my true feelings. And it really took a toll on me."

 _Oh, yeah. Lidelle must've gone through this herself at one point. She definitely knows what she's talking about.  
_

"W-Well…yeah. But what about…"

"See ya!"

We then saw Melody walked past us and went out the front door of the house. Amitie came out not long after and saw us sitting together.

"Where did Melody go?" Lidelle asked.

"To work." Amitie said.

"Really? She already has a job?" I asked.

"Yeah. She's writing a light-novel for the library here."

"No way! Your mom's a writer?!"

"Apparently. So now it's just us three here."

"I see."

"So what were you two doing?"

…

…

I looked at Lidelle and she looked at me with a small smile of confidence. I then turned to face Amitie again while thinking of something to say.

"Uh…j-just about what we're going to do tomorrow. I've got the whole day planned out."

"Really? The whole day?"

"Yep. Trust us, you're going to love it here, Amitie."

"I can agree to that." Lidelle added.

"Wow. Thanks, guys. I do hope you take care of me." Amitie said.

"Huh? Take care of you?" Lidelle and I both asked in confusion.

"U-Uh…th-that just slipped out. I-It's something I used to say."

"Huh."

Well…I managed to hide the conversation with Lidelle about that weird thing I had with Amitie. But now it's possible that the reason it happened is that I might have feelings for her. Lidelle did say that it's too early to tell, but this isn't something I can just push to the back of my mind. As I may have feelings for another girl.

 _Is it…is it really possible?_

"Uh…hey guys."

"Yeah, Amitie?" We both asked.

"I just realized something. It's just the three of us, and we said we would clean the house today."

…

…

…

"Damnit." Was all we said while we facepalmed our heads.

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.***_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **Midway through the beginning, I started feeling that Raffina would fit this chapter more. So I switched a bit early. Then went back to how it was writing in the original version.**

 **Also, sorry if these take a while to update. I've been watching a playthrough of Persona 5 on YouTube and it's so immersing, that I lose track of time. I've heard of the series before the Smash trailer. But I want to learn as much of the game before the DLC comes out.**

 **Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	10. The Red Puyo Hat

**Chapter 10 – The Red Puyo Hat**

 **Amitie's POV**

It pretty much took us three the entire day to clean the whole house. We had cleaned the kitchen, the living room, the hallway, and even all three bedrooms!

Like I said before, the bathroom was the only area that was surprisingly clean compared to the rest of the house. You would think after a decade it would be the most filthy, but it wasn't. So we just let it be.

Now the three of us were laying on our futons. Completely exhausted from what we did today.

" _ ***sigh***_ _I'm so tired._ " Raffina said in a weak state.

" _Me too._ " Lidelle said in the same tone. " _I've never worked that much in one day before._ "

" _Guys. You really didn't have to do this. Cleaning my whole house with me._ " I said in the same way as the others.

"Don't be silly, Amitie. We don't mind at all." Raffina said to me.

"We wanted to help. That's what friends do. They help each other." Lidelle added.

I felt my heart beating faster as I heard those words coming from my new friends. For a while now, I've felt kinda lonely. Blaming myself for the situation Mom and I got ourselves into. But ever since I've met Raffina and Lidelle, I've felt _**way**_ happier than how I've felt before.

"Guys. I…I don't know what else to say but…thank you." I said. Trying to hold in my tears of joy.

"You're welcome, Amitie." They both said.

As we continued to lay there together, we heard the door open and close and footsteps getting closer to the living room.

"I'm back, girl-whoa." Mom said as she entered the living room. "D-Did I enter the wrong house or something?"

"No, Mom. It's our house." I said. "We've spent the entire day cleaning it."

"Every room is clean." Raffina said.

"Not one spot is dirty." Lidelle said.

" _And it smells like lemons in here._ " We all whined while remembering how much work we did.

"I see. Well, thank you girls for doing something this big. I would repay you somehow, but I'm broke as hell."

"It's okay, Melody." Raffina said. "Us three are going out tomorrow to show Amitie around town. You're welcomed to join."

" _ ***sigh***_ I wish. But I gotta go back to work tomorrow. Writing a light-novel is a lot harder than I remembered."

"You're just saying that because tomorrow's Sunday and you want to sleep in." I said.

"S-So?! Can't a woman dream?!"

" _ ***giggle***_ We get it." Us three started laughing.

"Tch. Whatever." Mom obviously got insulted.

We ended up eating the leftovers from breakfast for dinner (no surprise that there were leftovers). And then after playing Super Mario Kart for a couple hours (and Lidelle complaining about how the controls are terrible), we all went to bed and finally called it day. I was so excited to hang out with Raffina tomorrow. I know I'm gonna have so much fun! I seriously can't wait much longer!

* * *

" _Amitie…_ "

 _ ***tired moan***_

" _Amitie…_ "

 _ ***another tired moan***_

"Amitie…" I felt my body shake as I woke up from having my name being called out.

" _H-Huh? Wh-What time is it?_ " I asked. Then after rubbing my eyes a bit, I got a good look at what my arms were holding. It looked…familiar. Almost like I've seen it earlier in time. But when?

" _A-Amitie…_ " I heard my name again.

That's when I looked up. And realized…that I was snuggling up against Raffina.

Again.

" **GAH! R-RAFFINA! I-I'M SORRY! I-I WASN'T…UH, I, WELL…** "

"A-Amitie! I-It's okay!" Raffina yelled in an attempt to calm me down.

"R-Really?"

"Y…Yeah." I then noticed that she was blushing heavily as she turned her head a little. " _A-And plus, I really liked it._ "

"Huh?"

" **N-Nothing! I-I was just…I didn't say anything!** "

" **O-Okay!** "

We both then just stared at each other with our blushed faces slowly getting redder. I felt my heart beating faster and faster with every moment this went on for. That talk with Mom yesterday…am I _**really**_ overreacting? Could this mean something? Something that I'm missing? This weird feeling I'm having…

"Uh…guys?"

" **H-Huh?! Wh-What?!** " We both panicked.

"Are you two okay? You've been staring at each other for a while now." Lidelle asked. She and Mom apparently had been staring at us staring at each other. When we realized that, we were both pretty embarrassed.

"Uh…y-yeah. W-We're fine. R-Right, Amitie?" Raffina asked me.

"Y-Yeah. W-We're totally fine. C-Completely normal." I said.

The two others just looked at us with the kind of look that reads "what a bunch of weirdos." based on the expression.

"Uh…okay(?)" They both said. Eventually letting it go.

The three of us then got dressed and headed out for the day. Raffina had kept her promise from yesterday and was going to show me around the different shops in the plaza. Mom stayed behind, as she still had to continue working on the light novel for her publisher.

"So, what's this light novel that Melody's working on?" Lidelle asked as we were walking down the block from my house.

"I honestly have no idea. She won't even tell me. Keeps saying that it's a secret." I answered while rubbing the back of my head in the process.

"Well whatever it's about, I'll be the first one to buy it." Raffina said with thumbs up and a smile.

Another faint blush came across my face. The way Raffina smiled just now was really cute for some reason. I really don't know why, but it just does. It also reminded me of what Mom said yesterday. I'm starting to think that I'm not overreacting, but I still have no idea what it could be instead. And it's been bothering me ever since.

"Th-Thanks…Raffina. Th-That would help us a lot." I stuttered nervously. Raffina, noticing my blushed face, started blushing on her own.

"N-No problem…Amitie. Th-That's what friends are for." She replied while being a little embarrassed.

" _Oh? Is Raffina being embarrassed?_ I didn't think that was possible with a ravenous gorilla like you."

Suddenly, we heard a voice come from behind us. It belonged to one of the boys from school. He wore a purple vest and pants combo with a white shirt underneath the vest. He also had on a fancy purple hat with a giant wing on the front, and it looked like he was wearing a stopwatch for a bowtie.

" **What the hell did you just call me, you damn jerk?!** " Raffina swore at the boy, who grew a smirk on his face while pushing up his glasses.

"So we're losing our hearing now, are we Raffina? I guess that's another thing to add to the _**LONG**_ list of reasons of why you'll never be remotely better than me! _Kyahahahaha!_ "

" _Why you little…_ " Raffina was boiling red with anger. And I honestly don't blame her.

The longer this boy was arguing with Raffina, throwing insults left and right to each other, the more I started to hate him. How can someone _**this**_ mean actually exist? I wanted to say something, but I really didn't the guy aside from what the girls told me about him. I didn't how it would end up if I got involved.

"It's okay, Amitie. Klug's like this with everyone." Lidelle said to me.

"What? Seriously? With everyone?"

"Yeah. He has this dream of being a world-famous magician, so he acts like what he calls "mature"." Lidelle place the word mature in air quotes.

 _ **This**_ _is what he thinks being mature is?!_

"Well, he's not very good at it." I said.

"Yeah. Far from it." Lidelle said.

I giggled at Lidelle's response which caused a chain reaction. The laughing caught the attention of Raffina and the boy, who I now know is named Klug.

"Oh, yeah. Your name's Amitie, right?" Klug asked me, completely ignoring Raffina.

"Yeah, why?" I responded with a question.

"Eh, no reason. I just remembered you from class. You probably heard me call you an idiot back then, huh? Well just so you know, you weren't supposed to hear that. At least not at that moment, I mean."

"How is _**that**_ any better?!" Raffina yelled.

"No one asked you, Ape." Klug said to her. Which only got Raffina angrier. "Anyway, if you ever need _**some**_ enlightenment, please don't hesitate to ask me."

"Gee thanks, Klug. I'll keep that in mind." I said with a fake smile.

"You should. You won't get much far in life hanging around with the primitive baboon and…that other one."

" _ **That other one?!**_ " Lidelle said while being slightly insulted.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be, Klug?" Raffina asked.  
"Aw yes, that's right. I've got a study day planned at the library. I'm just wasting time talking to you plebs. Don't wait up. _Kyahahahaha!_ "

Klug then left with a cheeky smile on his face. The way he walked away, with one hand in his pocket and the other waving at us with little to no effort, really pissed me off.

"What a jerk." I said shortly after he left.

"Yeah, totally." Lidelle agreed. "I mean really? "That other one"? We're in the same class! How did he forget my name?!"

We were both extremely annoyed, but then I felt Raffina's hand on my shoulder, which made me blush a little.

"C'mon, guys. Lets' not have that idiot ruin our day. We've got lots planned for today and we need to be in a good mood." She said to us.

Raffina's encouraging words made me blush even more. To the point where my cheeks were getting hot. Whatever this feeling is, I just want it to stop already so that I can act normal around Raffina.

" _Y-Yeah. Y-You're right, Raffina._ " I turned my head away and stuttered a response.

" _Y-Yeah. G-Glad I could help, Amitie._ " Raffina stuttered back.

The two of us walked at a moderate pace. Looking straight forward and ignored each other's hot red faces.

Well, at least tried too.

" _This is getting interesting…_ " Lidelle teased.

"Shut it, Lidelle." We both said, which lead her to giggle at us.

* * *

The first spot we went to was the clothing store. We went inside and, despite being told it was a small shop, there were **TONS** of clothes. I walked around the store while looking at the clothes on display. Some of them looked pretty cute. And I've been wanting to get new clothes and replace the old ones I've left behind.

"Woah! There's so many clothes here! Really cute ones, too!" I cheered.

"Yeah, they are really cute." Lidelle said. "But some are rather pricey."

"Huh?" I then looked at the price tag of a nearby shirt…

…and almost had a heart attack.

" _D-Damn._ "

"I get that reaction every time." Lidelle said.

"And I don't have any money, either."

"Don't worry, girls." Raffina said. "Whatever you want, I'll pay for it. I'll just use my credit card."

" **W-What?! N-No!** I-I mean…you don't have to do that, Raffina." I said.

"Y-Yeah. I-I don't really need any new clothes right now." Lidelle added.

"C'mon. Don't be like that. Friends are supposed to help each other, right? I really don't mind."

…

…

"W-Wow. Th-Thanks, Raffina." I said as I turned my head away, hiding the redness that appeared on my face.

"Y-Yes. Thank you so much, Raffina." Lidelle said with a bow.

"You guys…"

" _Ohoho_. Well, isn't that nice?"

As I turn around to see where the voice was coming from, what I saw was…not normal. At least to me. The owner of the voice was a skeleton wearing a blue and purple tuxedo jacket and a top hat on its head. It also had one eyeball missing, which was replaced with a single yellow dot.

Needless to say, I was frozen in fear.

"Oh hey, Oshare. You look well." Raffina greeted the skeleton.

"Nice day isn't it, Mr. Oshare?" Lidelle followed suit.

…

"Uh…what?" I stood there dumbfounded at the fact these two girls were not only not afraid of the skeleton but were also being friendly with it. Raffina saw my confused face and giggled a bit.

"Oh sorry, Amitie. Didn't mean to leave you out there. This is Oshare Bones. He owns this store." She explained.

"W-Woah! Really?!" I responded in shock.

"Was it _**that**_ unbelievable?" Oshare asked.

"Oh, sorry. It's just…this is my first time seeing a living skeleton."

"Understandable. I bet most skeletons you saw before were portrayed as scary undead beings, huh?"

"Yeah, pretty much. But now after meeting you, I kinda feel bad for them."

" _Ohoho_! Finally! Someone who understands our true feelings! This introduction was psychedelic. All of you, feel free to pick out anything you want. My treat."

"W-Wow! Thank you, uh…Mr. Oshare Bones!"

"Oh, please. "Mr. Oshare Bones" is totally too formal. Just call me Oshare."

"Oh. Okay then. Thank you, Oshare."

With Oshare's offer taken, the three of us looked around the miniature clothing store. Lidelle was looking at some green sweaters at one corner of the store, Raffina was looking at clothes that looked really expensive, and I was just walking around. Stopping every so often when I saw a cute outfit.

"Wow. So many stuff here. I'm not sure what I want. It's just so cute. And expensive. But mostly cute."

Then something caught my eye. I walked over to where the thing was and see this weird looking red hat. The top was shaped almost like the hood of a sweater, while the outer sides had an extra layer of fabric. The front of the hat had two large purple eyes that looked emotionless.

I kept staring at the hat for a little longer, somehow completely immersed into it. When suddenly…

* _ **BLINK**_ *

" **Waaahh!** " I screamed, gaining the attention of the other three people in the store.

"Amitie, what's wrong?" Raffina worriedly asked.

" **Th-That hat! I-It just blinked at me!** "

"A hat… _ **blinked**_ at you?" Raffina looked at me like I had a screw loose.

" **I'm serious! It really did blink at me!** "

"Amitie…I know we're still kids and all, but you must have some imagination to believe that a hat just miraculously bli-"

* _ **BLINK**_ *

" **Holy crap! That hat actually blinked!** "

We were all dumbfounded at what we just witnessed. A hat, an article of clothing, was blinking at us. Is this thing alive or something?

" _H-Hey, Mr. Oshare. What's with this hat, anyway?_ " Lidelle asked nervously.

"I honestly have no idea." Oshare replied. "This hat's been here for about 2 months now. Recently people have complained that they want to try the hat on, but they can never pick it up. Almost as if it wants to decide on its own who gets to wear it."

 _ ***BLINK***_

I looked back at the hat as it blinked for a third time. Whether or not what Oshare said was true, this hat was driving my curiosity insane. So I grabbed the hat on both sides and prepared to give it all my strength…

…only to end up being absolutely unnecessary. Because the hat just popped off with little to no effort on my end.

"I-It came off!" Oshare said sounding shocked.

 _ ***BLINK***_

As the hat blinked at me for the fourth time, I began the gesture of putting it on my head.

"W-Wait, Amitie! Y-You're not seriously going to put it on, are you?!" Raffina sounded scared.

"Well…it is a really cute hat." I said.

With the hat near inches from my head at this point, I really didn't have a choice. I put the hat on my head, waited a few seconds, and…

…

…

"It's surprisingly a perfect fit." I said.

"Huh?" Everyone else was in complete shock. Shorty after, Oshare cleared his throat.

"W-Well, this is a first. I've never had clothing do anything like this before." He said.

"You okay, Amitie? You're not hurt or anything?" Lidelle asked while still being a little scared.

"I'm alright, Lidelle. It's just this hat's a little…huh?"

I started tugging on the hat, but it wouldn't budge. Then I tried pulling on the loose part with both hands. Still nothing. At this point, I was starting to get scared again.

" **I-It won't come off!** "

" **WHAT?!** " The trio said in unison.

" **It's stuck! I can't get it off!** "

"Let me try!" Raffina said as she got behind me. Once she did, she grabbed the loose end of the hat and pulled with all her might.

" **AHHHH! RAFFINA! STOP! OWWWW! IT HURTS! STOP! PLEASE!** "

But it didn't move an inch. I was on the verge of tears when Raffina eventually did let go.

"Sorry! You're not hurt, are you?"

"Just a little pain. But more importantly..."

" **A-Amitie! The hat's eyes…they're closed!** " Lidelle said in shock.

"Huh?"

" **It's also glowing!** " Oshare added.

"Say what?"

I went to a nearby mirror and saw that they were right. The hat's previously emotionless eyes were closed tight and the hat itself was glowing a red aura.

"I-I think it's…sharing your pain, Amitie." Lidelle continued.

"Sh-Sharing my pain?!" I asked. "Y-You mean this hat can feel pain?!"

"How is it doing that?" Raffina asked.

"Well…" Lidelle stalled for a moment while looking at the hat. Then she continued with her thought. "When Raffina was pulling on it, you felt a little pain, right?"

I didn't know where Lidelle was going with this, but I had a weird feeling that I wasn't going to like it. But for now, I have no choice but to go along with it.

"Yeah…" I said.

"Well…I think the hat's copying your current emotion."

"C-Copy?! M-My emotions?!"

 _This hat just keeps getting weirder by the minute!_

"I wonder…would your teacher know anything about this hat?" Oshare asked.

"Probably. Raffina answered. "But she's out of town. We won't be able to ask her until tomorrow."

"Huh. Too bad. I wish I could help you girls out in some way, but I've got to close up shop soon. If you do find anything about it though, please tell me."

"Will do. See you later, Oshare."

We left Oshare's shop and were walking down the sidewalk figuring out what to do now after that ordeal happened.

"Hey, Amitie. Do you want to go home? I can understand if you do." Raffina shamefully asked.

" **What?! No! I want to stay here and see the rest of the plaza!** " I responded.

"But Amitie. That hat…" Lidelle said with as much self-shame as Raffina.

"I know. This hat is weird and somewhat creepy. And it no doubt has put me in a bad mood. But I really want to continue hanging out with you girls. And I'm not going to let a stupid hat ruin it for me!"

Raffina and Lidelle looked at each other with at first worried looks. But then they both grew smiles as they turned to face me again.

"Alright, Amitie." Raffina said.

"We believe you." Lidelle said.

"Great!" I cheered.

 _ ***GROWL***_

"Uh…hey, guys. Is there someplace we can get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Starving, huh?" Lidelle asked. "Then I know just the place."

"Uh-oh." Raffina and I both said.

"Don't worry. You'll be able to finish it all. I promise."

We didn't know what else to say to counterclaim that. So we both went with Lidelle to whatever place she had in mind for us to eat.

 _I really hope my stomach can take it this time…_

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.***_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **You guys remember how this was a 2-parter in the original? Well in this version, the second part will be a completely separate chapter with a completely different name. It'll be better that way, trust me.**

 **Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	11. The Fashion Student

**Chapter 11 – The Fashion Student**

 **Raffina's POV**

 _Geez. I really feel bad for what happened to Amitie. Having that weird hat stuck on her head. And an ugly one, at that. I thought she wanted to go home, but the fact that she wanted to stay with us…I don't know why, but that really made me happy._

 _It's probably this weird feeling I have right now. I couldn't stop thinking about it since that talk with Lidelle the other day. Do I want to be friends with Amitie? W-Wait, why the hell am I even asking that?! Of course, I do!  
_

 _But…that talk. Lidelle made some good points. Even though it was a short talk._

 _So could it mean…that I see Amitie in_ _ **THAT**_ _way?_

 _As in…more than a friend?_

…

 _I'm…I'm probably overthinking it(?)_

"Hey, Raffina. You okay? Your face is all red." Amitie asked me.

"H-Huh? O-Oh, yeah. I'm perfectly fine, Amitie. No need to worry."

"Huh. Okay. If you say so."

 _ ***phew***_ _That was close…_

After the whole ordeal with the weird hat that Amitie's now stuck with, I decided to take her to this sweats shop that just recently opened here. Not only is the ice cream absolutely delicious, but it also has all sorts of candy, chocolate, and cake. I wouldn't mind eating this stuff everyday…

…if I didn't have to worry about getting fat.

" **WOW! This ice cream is delicious!** " Amitie shouted as she took multiple bites of her ice cream sundae. "If I didn't have to worry about getting fat, I would eat this every day."

 _She just took the words right out of my mouth._

"Amitie, be careful!" Lidelle said. "You don't want to get a…"

" _Owwwwie!_ " Amitie whined while placing both her hands on her head in pain.

"…brain freeze."

Amitie rubbed her head for a couple of seconds, then stopped when she finally found some relief. While Lidelle and I were giggling through the whole thing like it was a comedy skit.

" _Geez, guys! Don't laugh at my pain!_ " Amitie said in a pouty voice.

"Sorry, Amitie. It was just so funny." I said while trying to stop laughing.

" _Meanies._ " Amitie continued to pout at us, then eventually got over it.

It was at that same moment that looked at the hat on her head, and it was acting weird again.

"A-Amitie! Th-The hat!" I yelled.

" _Huh?! W-What's it doing now?!_ " She sounded scared. Not knowing what's with this hat (on top of the fact that it won't come off) has really taken a toll on her.

I dug through my pocket and pulled out a miniature mirror to show Amitie what was happening. The hat was now squinting its eyes like it was in pain and it was glowing a very light blue hue. It was also shaking like it was cold or something.

"I think it's copying your brain freeze, Amitie."

"Huh? Why would it want to do that?" Amitie sounded concerned for the thing, despite forcing itself on her head.

"Are you worry about the hat, Amitie?" Lidelle asked.

"Well, yeah…kinda. I mean, I got to make sure that whatever this hat does doesn't completely destroy my hair."

"Yeah, true. But what if the thing has… _other powers_?"

"Other powers?" Amitie had a confused look on her face.

"Specifically… _other-worldly powers_?" Lidelle wiggled her fingers to make it sound scarier.

" _Uhh…_ "

Amitie's confused look had now turned into a "Really?" kind of look. She was trying to come up with a response to Lidelle's insane theory when…

"Why hello there, ladies. Enjoying your ice cream?"

"Oh. Hey, Lemres. I didn't know you were here." I said.

"Good day to you, Mr. Lemres." Lidelle did a formal greeting while also doing a bow.

I looked over at Amitie and saw that she had the same confused look from meeting Oshare earlier.

"Oh, Amitie. This is Lemres. He's the owner of the sweets shop."

"Ah. So you're Amitie? Ms. Accord has already told me so much about you. It's nice to finally meet you in person." Lemres greeted with a tip of his hat.

"Nice to meet you too, Lemres." Amitie said with a smile.

"I didn't think you would be here, Mr. Lemres. What with you being busy with your studies and all." Lidelle said.

"Studies? Does he go to the same school as us?" Amitie asked.

"Well, no actually. Lemres studies magic at the community college here."

"Studying magic? So that's actually a thing?"

"Yeah. You've never heard of it?"

"We're going to start learning about it at school tomorrow." Lidelle added.

"Huh. That's…interesting." Amitie still looked skeptical after hearing that.

"Anyway…" I continued. "Lemres is what's known as a comet warlock. He's one of the strongest magic users in all of Primp. Despite being a weirdo sometimes."

"Oh, it's not that big of a de- wait…how am I a weirdo?" Lemres was enjoying the praise he was getting but then realized the one criticism.

"Do we really need to explain it, Lemres?" I asked sarcastically.

"I wanna know." Amitie said.

"Well…whenever we would run into Lemres just by chance, he would offer us some of his candy that he always carries with him."

"W-Wow…" Amitie sounded uncomfortable.

"How is that weird? I just like to share, that's all." Lemres tried to justify.

"It's weird because we're only 16, Lemres." I said.

"We're only 4 years apart. No big deal."

"Uh…I'm actually 15." Amitie said.

"Me too." Lidelle added.

…

Lemres didn't say anything and instead turned his head away from us out of embarrassment. I know he's not going to stop offering us candy during random encounters, but hopefully after this conversation he'll at least tone it down a bit.

"Anyway, Lemres. Was there something you wanted from us?" I asked.

"Ah, yes." Lemres replied then cleared his throat. "I couldn't help but overhear you girls talking about a hat with magical powers…"

"Do you know something about it?!" Amitie sounded excited when asking the question.

"Well, it sounds familiar. I've learned about how magic can be stored in common jewelry like bracelets and necklaces, but I've never heard of a hat possessing such powers."

"So do you think you can get it off my head? It's kinda stuck."

"Well…I could. But I don't know what my magic could do to your head."

"O-Oh. Right." Amitie sounded a little scared thinking of the possibilities.

"What we need to figure out is not the magic within the hat, but the hat itself."

The three of us had the most confused looks on our faces. We had absolutely no idea where Lemres was going with this theory of his.

"What I mean is, the hat being stuck on your head probably has nothing to do magic. And that it could be something else entirely."

"Get real…"

"Woah…"

"Sounds scary…"

The three of us were just astonished (and a little scared) at the fact that such a power could even exist, and inside a hat no less.

"So, do you know what this power is, Lemres?" Amitie asked.

Lemres grew a small frown on his face while shaking his head in disagreement.

"Unfortunately, I don't. And furthermore, I don't know anything about hats or fashion in general. So I have no idea why this power exists inside a hat of all things. But _**perhaps**_ there's someone here in town you could ask."

As Lemres said that, he turned to me and gave me a smirk like I already knew the answer.

And unfortunately…I do.

" _Aw, come on Lemres._ _Do we really need to ask_ _ **her**_ _?_ " I said in a pouty attitude. While Amitie and Lidelle looked at me with confused looks on their faces.

"Who's **her**?" They both asked in sync.

I tried to say silent, but with the three of them staring me down (especially Amitie), I couldn't do it for long.

" _ ***sigh***_ Okay, fine. We could ask my older sister Amira. She's studying fashion at the college, so she _**might**_ know something about it."

"Woah! Really?!" Amitie asked in high spirits.

"You have an older sister?" Lidelle asked.

"Yeah. But I don't bring her up much. She's kinda a pain to deal with."

"I see."

" **Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, Raffina! You truly are the best!** " Amitie looked so excitedly happy to hear to hear such a possibility, that she grabbed me by my waist and hugged me as tight as she could and nuzzled on my cheek.

" _Y-You're welcome…A-Amitie._ " I couldn't stop blushing at that point. Aside from that hug earlier, I've never been this close to Amitie before. And I honestly don't think I could handle it much longer. Luckily, Amitie looked at me and realized what she was doing. And instantaneously jumped off me with extreme embarrassment.

" **I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Raffina! I-I didn't mean to hug you like that! I-I was just so happy, and…** " She was just as beat red as I was. And like the other two times, the hat was copying Amitie's current emotion. It had the same squinted eyes and pink hue from back at Oshare's shop.

" **N-No!** I-I mean, you don't have to apologize, Amitie. I-I completely understand that you were happy. And personally… _I-I think it's cute when you're happy._ "

" _R-Raffina?_ "

" **W-Wait! Th-That came out wrong! Wh-What I meant was…** "

" **N-No! I get it! Really, I do!** "

We just sat there staring at each other's flaming red faces for a short while until I broke out of the trance.

" _Sh-Shall we go?_ " I asked still stuttering.

" _Y-Yeah. L-Let's go._ " Amitie answered also still stuttering.

With that said, we both quickly got up from our seats and started walking out of the building. Lidelle and Lemres quickly caught up with us. And I could hear them having a conversation.

"Mr. Lemres. You notice it too, right?"

"Yep. Sure do, Lidelle."

"When do you think they'll notice?"

"Only time will tell."

"Notice _**what**_?" I asked.

"Nothing, Raffina." They both said with a cheeky smile.

 _Aw, damn. Does Lemres see it now, too? With how I was acting back there, there's no doubt that he does._

 _M-Maybe…maybe they're right…_

* * *

Today, Amira was managing the jewelry store. So I took everyone there with little hesitation. As we stood in front of the store, I was still against the idea of asking Amira for help.

 _Mainly because I didn't want her to meet Amitie and Lidelle._

But with a little nudge of encouragement from Lemres, I was able to open the door and enter the store with everyone following me inside. The first thing I noticed was Amira doing the same thing she's always doing whenever she's at home or managing the jewelry store…

…sleeping.

 _ ***sigh***_ _Here we go._

I walked over to the counter where Amira was and saw that she had her headphones on her again. I took off the headphones and started shaking her in order to wake her up.

"Amira." I called her name.

But she didn't move.

" _Amira._ " I said with a little anger.

Still nothing. And I was about to give up too. That's when Amira started talking in her sleep.

" _Hahahaha…One more life, and then it's night-night forever…_ "

 _What the hell does that mean?! Should I be afraid?! I better wake her up fast!_

" **Amira! Amira, wake up, damn it!** " I shouted while shaking her really hard.

" _H-Huh?!_ " Amira looked around the area a bunch until she saw me standing in front of the counter. "Oh. Hey, Sis. Is it closing time already?"

"What? No! It's only a quarter past 12!"

" _ ***whine***_ _It's only now afternoon? I'm so bored here._ "

"Quit whining, will you? I need your help with something."

" _Geez, Sis. You woke me up for a favor? Why couldn't this wait until we got home?_ "

"Amira…" I said with a facepalm.

"Hello there, Amira. Having a nice day, I presume?" Lemres asked as he walked up behind me. I guess he saw that this was starting to get nowhere and wanted to help.

" **L-L-Lemres?!** **W-W-Woah!** "

 ***THUD***

And the next thing I knew, Amira had fallen off the chair she was sitting on and was on the floor rubbing her head. She then had gotten up and was standing over the counter.

"W-What are you doing here, Lemres?" She asked.

"Sorry to disturb you while you're working Amira, but I was hoping if you could help us with a problem we're having."

"S-Sure! I'll be glad to help! Anything for you, Lemres!"

"Oh, for God's sake..." I said as I walked over to Amitie and Lidelle with an exasperated look on my face.

"Woah. So that's your sister, Raffina?" Amitie asked.

"Yeah, that's her. Her name's Amira and she goes to the same community college Lemres does."

"I see."

"She acts… _ **real**_ differently from you." Lidelle said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Don't remind me."

"So does your sister…have a thing for Lemres?" Amitie asked.

"Yeah. One moment, she's lazy and immature. But whenever Lemres is around, she acts like one those girls you see in those cheesy romantic comedy shows."

"So, she has like a split personality or something?"

…

"Yeah, I guess never really thought of that." I said after thinking about it.

"Kinda reminds me of Feli." Lidelle added.

"Oh, don't even get me started with her. It's even worse whenever Feli comes to visit." At this moment, my exasperated face grew more exasperated at the thought of those encounters.

"Who's Feli?" Amitie asked.

"My cousin. She comes over to visit sometimes. And like Amira, she has a huge crush on Lemres. Seeing those two fight over him is the most annoying thing in the world."

"I see. I feel bad for you, Raffina."

"Ah, you don't have to. To be honest, I'm actually rooting for Feli."

"R-Really?"

"Yep. But don't tell Amira that."

The two girls in front of me giggled and then gave me a wink of an eye.

"We won't." They replied. And then I started giggling with them. Which finally got Amira's attention away from Lemres.

"Woah, Sis. You weren't kidding when you said you had friends."

"Of course, I wasn't kidding." I got insulted. "Even someone like me can have friends."

"Yeah, yeah. I believe you. So who are they, anyway?"

"My name's Amitie."

"My name's Lidelle." Lidelle greeted her with a bow.

"Name's Amira. Glad to see that my little sis doesn't have any imaginary friends at her age. Although, she did have one when she was 5."

" **A-Amira!** " I shouted with a faint blush of embarrassment.

"Whoops. Sorry, Sis."

"Nothing wrong with having an imagination that big, Raffina." Lemres said.

"You're not helping at all, Lemres."

I thought I was about to get ridiculed for what I did as a 5-year-old, but then I saw Amira look at Amitie and soon gained a look of total shock.

"W-Wait a sec! Isn't that the hat from Oshare's shop?! How did you get it off the rack?!" She asked.

"We were at his shop earlier and I just saw it sitting there. And after it blinked at me a couple times, I put it on my head and now it won't come off." Amitie explained.

"We feel like it's some kind of power that's doing this, but I don't have a clue on what this power is. So that's why we came to you, Amira." Lemres added.

"Well, thank God you did!" Amira cheered.

"Wait, you _**actually**_ know what it is?" I asked.

"Yep! I have a book about it in my bag! I'll go get it!"

 _Huh. Maybe it was a good idea to ask her._

Amira dug through her school bag and took out one of her fashion books from the class she's taking. She flipped through the pages until she found what she was looking for.

"Here it is." Amira said as she shoved the book our way. She showed us a picture of 5 different colored hats all with big lifeless eyes. One of the hats looked awfully familiar.

"A-Amitie, look!" I shouted.

"It's my hat! And there are others like it!" Amitie replied.

"These 5 hats are known as the legendary Puyo Hats." Amira continued. "Legend has it that long ago, these hats were separated and scattered across our world from a different world through means of space-time. No one knows how that happened, but I've read that these hats have other-worldly powers unknown to humanity."

"See?! I told you it was a possibility! And you two thought it was creepy." Lidelle was gloating about her theory being right.

Lemres, on the other hand, didn't say anything throughout the entire explanation. As I looked at him, it looked like he was in deep thought.

"Amira, what made you so interested in these hats?" He asked, finally breaking his silence.

"W-Well…when they were first mentioned in class, I paid no mind to them. But then one day at Oshare's shop, I saw the Red Puyo Hat just sitting there. I tried to grab it, but it wouldn't budge. When I told my professor about it, he gave me this book and said to use it as long as I needed to. So, you could say that sparked my interest. Pretty amazing right, Lemres?"

"Interesting. Now I'm quite curious about how far on your research you've gotten."

"W-Wow, really?" Amira started to blush a little. "W-Well…I've only started about a month ago. S-So there really isn't much. But I've already made a theory. If all the Puyo Hats were found somehow, what would happen if they were all reunited? The other four hats would have to be found in order to get such an answer, but it's a good goal nonetheless. Right, Lemres?"

 _Sis, you are trying_ _ **WAY**_ _too hard…_

"Really impressive, Amira. You've really put a lot of effort into this."

" _Hehhehheh_. Thank you, Lemres." Amira was blushing even more at this point.

"Woah. These hats are really something." Lidelle said.

"I know right? What do you think, Amitie?"

…

"Amitie?"

Just like how Lemres was a few minutes ago, Amitie was completely lost in her own thought. I gave her a few soft nudges while continuing to call out her name.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. That was really something. Thanks for the info, Amira."

"No problem, Amitie." Amira said.

"In fact, it has me thinking about something."

"Huh? About what?" I asked.

"What if…if we find the other four hats, this red one would come off?"

"Huh?" Lidelle and I were confused.

"I see where you're getting at." Lemres said. "You think that by reuniting these Puyo Hats, you'll be able to get the red one off your head. Am I right?"

"Yeah, that's it! Do you think it's possible?"

"Well…it's a start. What do you think, Amira?"

"No objection to that. If I can see all five hats at once, my research will be known across the world."

"But, guys. We have no idea where the other hats are." Lidelle said.

"Well if the red one was here for so long, then maybe the other colors are here too."

"Yeah. I guess…what were the other colors again?"

"There's a blue one, a green one, a yellow one, and a purple one."

"Wow. It almost makes a rainbow." I said.

"Yeah. A-And besides…if we find the Yellow Puyo Hat, I could give it to you, Raffina." Amitie said blushing through the whole thing.

"W-What? W-Why me? Wh-Why the yellow one?"

"I-I think you'll look cute in it."

"R-Really? Y-You think so?" Now I was the one blushing.

We both ended up staring at each other for a bit before looking away from each other with bright red faces.

" _Steamy._ " Amira said.

" **Shut up, Amira!** " I yelled at her.

* * *

After learning about the Puyo Hats from my sister, the three of us didn't really do much besides walk around town. It was a good chance to show Amitie the rest of the area. So it wasn't a complete waste of time.

Later that day, though, we had to go back to Amitie's house so that Lidelle and I can get our stuff and return to our homes. It was a sad moment, but we really had fun together. It was also my first time hanging out with friends. Never thought it would be so fun. Especially with Amitie.

As I took a bath and laid in my bed, couldn't stop thinking of all the fun I had with Amitie. Sure, there were those awkward moments.

But…

 _Besides those, being with her that whole time…i-it felt really good. A-And that hug…it was the best one I've ever had. A-And the two nights where she cuddled me in her sleep. If I would've woke up in the middle of the night, I would've cuddled her too. It truly sucked that I had to come home tonight. I know that I'll see her tomorrow, but I really wanted to stay with her. I just can't get enough of her!_

I then felt my heart beating fast and my body feeling hot from the excitement I had in my mind. I tried to calm down a bit while drinking some of the water I had next to my bed, but my heart was still racing. Me thinking of Amitie that long…over such minor things. But with that, the awkward moments, and the talk I had with Lidelle…it all became clear to me. There was no point denying it now.

" _I…I…I'm in love with Amitie. I-I really do love her. I love Amitie._ "

I started getting sleepy from the excitement earlier and soon went to sleep with a smile across my face.

For the first time in my life.

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.***_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **4 more chapters to go until the rewrite is done. Having the number of chapters increase from 13 to 15 doesn't seem much. But when you're trying to write new stuff with the old AND trying to make both fit with each other, it will feel like a lot of work. Just saying.**

 **Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	12. Tarutaru's Secret

**Chapter 12 – Tarutaru's Secret**

 **Amitie's POV**

"Seriously, Mom. This is why you don't do all-nighters."

" _I already_ _ ***yawn***_ _told you, Ami. I'm_ _ ***yawn***_ _fine._ "

"Yeah. Sure you are."

The two of us were sitting on our futons eating breakfast. There wasn't any more of Lidelle's cooking from the sleepover. So it was back to eating instant ramen.

Mom worked on her light novel throughout the night and was barely staying awake. She's really dedicated about this light novel. I would constantly ask her just what is it about, but she would always give the exact same answer:

"It's a secret, Ami."

 _ ***sigh***_ _This secret better be worth exhausting yourself like this, Mom._

" _So, what_ _ ***yawn***_ _are you planning to do with_ _ ***yawn***_ _the hat?_ " Mom asked.

"Oh, yeah. This thing." I didn't sound too happy about being reminded of this weird hat.

When we all got back to my house yesterday, we explained to Mom about the Red Puyo Hat, how it got stuck on my head, and about the other four hats. I didn't really want to tell her about all this, but I've really gotten close with Mom since that _**incident**_ that I really wish I could forget about. And I don't want one simple lie to ruin it all.

Plus, even if I did lie about it, I'm pretty sure she'll figure it out immediately after and claim it's a _"_ mother's instinct _"_ or something like that.

"I don't know. We were going to start looking for the other four hats, but Raffina and Lidelle managed to convince me to first find out what this one does."

" _I_ _ ***yawn***_ _see._ "

"You sure you're okay?"

" _Ami…I'm_ _ ***yawn***_ _fine. Really, I am._ "

"If you say so…"

I got off my futon to throw away my empty ramen container then went to the front door to put on my shoes. I stood in front of the hallway mirror staring at the hat on my head. The hat blinked once, then closed its eyes and started moving in a relaxed state.

"What? You didn't sleep either?" I asked. Not realizing that I was just talking to a hat.

The hat ignored me (like it could talk) continued to sleep. Or, so I thought it was sleeping. Because all of a sudden, the hat started to glow. And a red aura circled around me.

I was scared. I didn't know what this hat was doing or what was happening.

When it all over, though, I felt…strange. Well, I wouldn't say strange. I actually felt refreshed. Like a sudden burst of energy just fused inside me. I looked at the hat again and its eyes were open again.

" **Wh-What did you just do?!** " I asked. Still not realizing that I'm talking to a hat.

The hat didn't do much except for its usual blinking. Still a little tensed, I grabbed my backpack and opened the front door.

"Mom, I'm leaving." I called out to her.

But I didn't get a response.

"Mom?"

I walked back into the living room to find Mom knocked out on her back with her instant ramen cup in one hand. I couldn't help myself and started laughing at the once in a lifetime sight and then headed towards the front door again.

" _ ***giggle***_ Goodnight, Mom." I said as I left the house and closed the door.

* * *

It was still cold outside. With it being early January and all. So I was pretty much wearing the same clothes I wore on Friday.

And yes, they're clean.

As I walked down the sidewalk heading for school, I spotted Raffina just up ahead. I made sure no cars were coming then crossed the intersection to catch up to her.

"Hey! Raffina!" I shouted.

"Oh. Morning, Amitie." Raffina gave me a cheerful smile, then looked at the hat. "So, the hat's still stuck huh?" She asked.

"Yeah. It was on my head all night. Kept my head warm, though."

"Well, that's nice. I guess."

I looked around us and noticed that someone else wasn't here with us.

"Hey, where's Lidelle?"

"She has class duty, so she went to school earlier."

"I see. So, it's just the two of us huh?"

"Yep. Pretty much."

…

…

We both stood there in silence and soon after turned our beat red faces away from each other. These strange feelings I get whenever I'm around Raffina just keep getting stranger. I still remember that talk I had with Mom. But since it ended with her suggesting that I ask Google for help, she wasn't helpful at all.

I really like Raffina. I really do. But something's telling me that…it's more than just that.

"W-We should get going. D-Don't want to be late." Raffina stuttered after 3 ½ minutes of awkward silence and began to speed walk up the block.

"Y-Yeah." Was all I was able to say.

Neither one of us said anything the remainder of the way there. My face was still blazing red from that embarrassment of a question I asked earlier. When I would be with the twins and Ayumi back home, I wouldn't be getting these weird feelings. But with Raffina, something about her just makes it hard to be around her without feeling like a complete idiot.

The two of us reached the school and were walking down the hallway. There we saw Lidelle, who was carrying a bag full of trash that was nearly double her size.

"M-Morning, Lidelle." We both stuttered.

"Good morning, you t- wow, what happened to you guys?" Lidelle asked once she saw our blushed faces.

"I-It's nothing, Lidelle. W-We're completely fine." Raffina said. "J-Just a pair of friends walking to school together. _Oh, La-Ti-Da._ "

"But both of your faces are red."

"N-Nothing happened, Lidelle. A-Absolutely nothing." I added.

…

…

…

" **NOTHING!** " We both shouted.

"I didn't even say anything."

 _Great, I'm so worked up that I'm starting to hear things._

"A-Anyway, you need help carrying that bag, Lidelle?" Raffina asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. This thing is kinda heavy. Thanks, Raffina.

Raffina grabbed the bag from Lidelle and carried it over her shoulder. The three of us walked to the trash container outside where Lidelle and I watched as Raffina threw the bag inside.

 _Gee, Raffina's pretty strong. There's no way I would be able to do that with my scrawny body._

"So what did Melody say about the hat, Amitie?" Lidelle asked as we were now walking back inside the school and were heading to the classroom.

"Not much. After you guys left she continued to work on her light novel. She ended up doing an all-nighter and was knocked out when I left the house this morning."

"She was up all night? Geez, what's this damn book about, anyway?" Raffina asked.

"She won't tell me. But I can tell she's really dedicated to finishing it."

"Well, I don't blame her. If her book gets published, it would mean serious income for you two." Lidelle added.

"Yeah, true. I'm getting _**SO**_ tired of instant ramen."

We eventually made it to the classroom to find that once again, Ms. Accord wasn't here yet. So it was just Klug and Tarutaru. While the latter didn't bother to talk, the former didn't hesitate to say something to us.

"Salutations, girls. No doubt you're ready to witness true genius at work, I suppose?"

"Well it depends, Klug. When does the genius get here?" Raffina insultingly asked. Lidelle and I held in our laughs well enough for Klug to not notice.

" **I'm the genius, you idiotic primate!** "

" **What the hell did you just call me?!** "

" **You heard me!** Oh wait, I forgot. You haven't been trained to understand human language yet, haven't you? So sad. _Kyahahahaha!_ "

" _You damn little…_ "

"Why must you always insult Raffina like that?"

"Huh? What do you mean _insult_?" Klug asked as he turned to me. Looking upset that I even asked that question.

"I mean, why are you such a bully? You know that no one likes you, right?"

"A bully?! How am I a bully when everything I say about her is true?!"

" _ **Everything?!**_ **Is this really how you treat a girl?!** " I was starting to get really pissed off.

"A girl?! _ **Kyahahahaha!**_ **You believe THAT primitive ape is one of us?! Let alone, a girl?! Damn, you really are a blonde! Because NOBODY would be able to make such a stupid remark like that!** _ **Kyahahahaha!**_ "

" **SHUT THE HELL UP!** " I shouted out of nowhere.

" **What did you just say, you little…** "

" **YOU HEARD EXACTLY WHAT I SAID, YOU GODDAMN JERK! I'M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND LET YOU BULLY RAFFINA OR ANYONE ELSE ANYMORE!** "

"A-Amitie…" Raffina was at a loss for words.

" **Hmph! You need to learn your place, you damn brat!** " Klug yelled.

" _Child…?_ "

" _Child…?!_ "

" **THE ONLY CHILD HERE IS YOU, YOU DAMN MONSTER!** "

"Monster?" Raffina and Lidelle asked.

This exact fight I was having with Klug…it triggered something. Something from my past. A memory of sorts. A memory that I know all too well…but wish I could forget.

 ***ONE MONTH AGO***

" _G-Get away from her! Y-You jerk!_ "

" _What the hell did you call me?! You little brat!_ "

I remember getting punched in the face and the force from it was so strong it sent me to the nearest wall of the house. A man was standing over me, ready to strike me again.

" _ **LEAVE HER ALONE!**_ "I then remember hearing a woman's voice that sounded familiar to me. The woman was in full distraught. Fear was coming from her shriveled up voice. It sounded like she was scared, no terrified of what was happening.

The man had run up to the woman and grabbed her by her shirt. He then picked her up and proceed to punch her in the face multiple times. Then he threw the woman at the same wall I was at as the both of us laid there in fear, pain, and sadness.

" _You girls…_ _ **YOU GIRLS NEED TO LEARN YOUR PLACE!**_ _ **NYAHAHAHAHAHA!**_ "

That was the last thing I heard before passing out the floor.

The extreme anger I had for Klug suddenly turned into an absolute fear for my life. I could feel heavy tears coming down my eyes. These weren't tears of sadness, nowhere close. These were tears of extreme fear.

"No… **NO! GET AWAY! DON'T HURT ME! LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU MONSTER!** " I screamed with every bit of fear I had and ran out of the classroom and eventually the school itself. Crying the hard tears of a terrified soul.

"Amitie!" I heard Raffina and Lidelle call my name.

But I didn't stop. Neither did I turned around. I wanted to be alone. I needed to be alone. Being alone was the only safe thing for me to do…in this sudden hellish world.

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

" _ **I'M NOT GOING TO SIT HERE AND LET YOU BULLY RAFFINA OR ANYONE ELSE ANYMORE!**_ "

Those words…they kept spiraling in my head as me and the others tried to comprehend what just happened. I've only seen Amitie cry once before. The time when she first moved here last Friday. Her eyes were all red and puffy. Even though I was hiding in a bush, looking at it was rather unsettling. But back then, I figured that she was just sad about moving away from her home. The tears that I saw just now…they weren't sadness. Those were tears of fear. Absolute fear. I actually felt my heart break after witnessing that. It was truly terrifying.

 _Amitie…wh-what just happened?_

"Oh my. Does anyone know what happened to Amitie?" Ms. Accord asked as she and Popoi entered the classroom. Amitie had run past her on her way out of the school and she was really concerned.

That's when I remembered what caused her to cry like that. And got extremely angry.

" **It's all Klug's fault! He was talking crap to her and made her cry!** " I yelled while pointing at the self-proclaimed know-it-all.

" **What?! Me?! I didn't do anything to that idiot!** " Klug yelled back.

" **You called her a child and told her she needs to "** _ **learn her place**_ " **! Who the hell talks to people like that?!** "

" **Only an immature jerk!** " Lidelle joined in.

" **She** _ **is**_ **a child! And so are you two! The only reason I stay in this school is so I can BABYSIT you unintelligent brats!** "

" _ **Why you cocky little…**_ " I started tightening my fist in a fit of pure and uncontrollable rage.

"N-Now now, Raffina. L-Let's not get too hasty…" Ms. Accord tried to intervene.

" **NO! I'VE HAD IT WITH THIS DAMN SMARTASS TALKING CRAP TO PEOPLE LIKE HE'S F****** BETTER THAN US! I DON'T F****** CARE HOW MANY KICKS IT'LL TAKE, I'M GOING TO MAKE HIM RESPECT THE F*** OUT OF ME!**

" _W-What…_ " Klug started trembling in fear as I winded up my leg for a strike. This was no joke. I really going to kick him, precisely in that nerdy little face of his. I was about to release my full power on Klug when all of a sudden…

"It's not his fault."

"Huh?"

This voice…it sounded familiar. I haven't heard this particular voice in a long time. I was so shocked that I ended up putting my leg down and spared Klug's life. All four of us looked at the far corner of the classroom where the big boy dressed in blue stood up and walked over to us.

"T-Tarutaru?! Y-You're talking again?!" Lidelle was surprised to hear the voice of her old best friend after so long.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you so suddenly, Lidelle. I just…had some complicated stuff to deal with."

"I've could've helped you, y'know! Why did you constantly avoid me this whole time?!"

"I stayed away from you because I didn't want you to get involved in this mess!" Tarutaru yelled back at Lidelle. Then held his head down in shame.

"…But I guess that wasn't enough to prevent this."

All of us were more confused than a cat with a plastic cup stuck on its head. First, Amitie's sudden breakdown, now Tarutaru's talking again?! Just what the hell is going on?!

"Wait a minute, Tarutaru. What are you talking about? How is it not Klug's fault? **WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!** " I was spouting questions left and right like I was a detective on those true crime shows.

"Please calm down, Raffina. I'm pretty sure Tarutaru will explain everything." Ms. Accord said.

"F-Fine." I didn't want to accept this decision, but I also didn't have a choice.

"Please continue, Tarutaru."

"Yes, Ms. Accord." Tarutaru answered then cleared his throat. "As I said before, This isn't Klug's fault for Amitie's breakdown. But he does have some blame for it."

"Geez. Make up your mind already. You just said that it's not my fault, but now I'm to blame for it? what sense does that make?"

 ***POW***

" _Ow!_ "

I punched Klug in the arm as he complained about what Tarutaru just said.

 _Whiney baby._

"Basically, he merely triggered a bad memory of hers."

"A bad memory? What could that be?" Lidelle asked.

"I'm not sure. But I do know that it has something to do with Klug telling her that she needs to "know her place"."

"Which she does." Klug interjected. I leered at him with the most frightening look on my face which made cower in fear behind his book.

"You were saying?" I turned back to Tarutaru.

"Right. So, this memory of hers…I could tell that she wanted to forget it. But thanks to that Red Puyo Hat that's on her head, she's reliving that nightmare."

"Th-The Red Puyo Hat?!" Lidelle and I both shouted. We didn't think someone like Tarutaru would know anything about it. Then again, I had the same thought about Amira.

"Oh? You girls know about this Red Puyo Hat?" Ms. Accord asked.

"Y-Yeah. Amitie found the hat at Oshare's store and after trying it on it wouldn't come off. Since then, it's been doing weird stuff." I explained.

"Weird stuff like what, meow?" Popoi asked.

"Well…" Lidelle continued. "It would copy her emotions and grow a light aura matching that emotion."

"Copy? Her emotions, meow?"

Tarutaru didn't say anything except let out a big, long sigh.

"Tarutaru…" Lidelle whimpered.

"If only I've gotten that hat first. This mess wouldn't be happening." He grumbled to himself.

"Hey, Tarutaru. How do you know about the Red Puyo Hat, anyway?" I asked.

Tarutaru did another big sigh before answering.

"I guess I can't keep it a secret anymore." He said.

Tarutaru took off the big blue hat from his head and held it in his hand. As we stared at it, the hat started to change shape. It eventually started to look like something Lidelle and I were way too familiar with.

"R-Raffina. I-Isn't that…" Lidelle stuttered.

"N-No denying it! **It's the Blue Puyo Hat!** " I was shocked beyond belief. I didn't think we would find one of these hats so easily.

" **H-How do you have this?!** " I asked.

"The Blue Puyo Hat is a family treasure passed down in my family for generations. It was given to me about a month ago. And I've kept it hidden from everyone after learning its power."

"Its power?" We all asked.

"Whoever wears the Blue Puyo Hat will have the power to see other people's futures."

"See other people's futures?" Lidelle asked.

"That doesn't sound bad at all." I said.

"You would think. But during a school trip one day, the hat kept showing me visions. Real depressing visions. Which led me to realize the hat was trying to tell me something. That someone was going to be in danger."

"D-Danger?!" We asked.

 _I-Is Amitie said person? Is she in danger? Did she know this whole time? And if so, why hasn't she told anyone?!  
_

"I tried all I could to prevent this. Spending day and night for the past month looking for the Red Puyo Hat. If I would've gotten it first, I could've stopped all this from happening. But I had no idea where it was. The fact that Amitie came to school wearing it…meant I was too late."

"Whoa. Tarutaru…" I was in disbelief. I always thought that he was kinda creepy at first. Then a jerk for ignoring Lidelle for her sexual orientation. But now…he was only a shut-in because he was trying to Prevent what's happening right now. I truly had him all wrong all this time.

"So, that's why you started avoiding everyone." Lidelle said.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, Lidelle. The visions themselves were just too terrifying for me to bring up to anyone. Plus, I didn't think people would believe me."

"No, really. I get it. I understand."

"And, uh…I know your secret, Lidelle."

"Y-You do?!"

 _H-He does?!_

"Wait, what secret?" Klug asked.

"Like you have the right to know." I said to him.

"Tarutaru. Is there a way to save Amitie from this memory? Or at least find her?" Lidelle asked.

"Well…my grandfather once told me that one hat has the power to find another if it's not too far away."

After hearing this, a bunch of thoughts rammed up my mind. All this time, Amitie was only pretending to be happy. When in reality, she still had some fear inside her. Whatever this bad memory is, she kept it to herself and believed that she could just forget it just like that.

I'm mad at her for not telling me. But I'm pissed at myself for not noticing it on my own. I had to find her. I had to apologize. But I had no idea where to start looking.

Then I looked at the Blue Puyo Hat. While remembering what Tarutaru said earlier. It gave me an idea. A risky one, but I'll take what I can get.

"Hey, Tarutaru. Can I use your hat?" I asked.

"Huh?!" He surprised that I would ask such a stupid and dangerous question.

" **I need to find Amitie! I can't let her be alone any longer! And if that hat is the only way to find her, then I'm willing to deal with its dark power!** " I said what I said. And meant every word, too.

"Raffina…" Lidelle whispered in admiration.

Tarutaru looked at the hat, then at me, and then back at the hat. He looked rather unsure of this idea of mine, which had me worried that he wasn't going to give it to me.

" _ ***sigh***_ Okay. Here." He said as he handed over the hat.

As the Blue Puyo Hat stared at me with rapid blinks in between, I looked at it with sheer determination while gripping its sides with both hands.

"Alright, Blue Puyo Hat. Tell me where the Red Puyo Hat is!" I demanded then put the hat on my head. I soon started feeling a strange power run through my body. I closed my eyes and soon an image appeared in my mind.

 _So that's where she is._

I opened my eyes and let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, did you find her?" Lidelle asked.

"She ran to Nahe Forest."

"Nahe Forest?! That place is haunted, meow!" Popoi said sounded scared.

" **I'm still going! I'm not leaving Amitie behind!** " I was more determined than ever to go and look for her. With the slight nods I got from everyone (well, mostly everyone), I turned and headed for the front entrance of the school.

"Lidelle, go and tell Melody what's happened and bring her to the forest. We'll meet you two there once I find Amitie."

"Right!" Lidelle said as she saluted and then ran in the direction of the missing girl's house.

"Raffina, please be careful." Ms. Accord said.

"I will. Honest. If anything gets in my way, I'll beat it down."

"Good luck, Raffina." Tarutaru said.

"Thank you, Tarutaru. I really owe you one."

Klug didn't say anything, but I couldn't care less what that jerk had to say.

I headed out for Nahe Forest to start searching for Amitie. I not sure how far into the forest she's gone at this point, but I'll go as far as I need to.

 _Hold on, Amitie! I'm coming to save you!_

 _ ***This chapter was edited. As some things were either added or removed from the original version.***_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **3 more to go. And honestly, after looking back at them, they don't need to be rewritten. It looked like how I would write now. They just need to be fixed grammar-wise and they'll be posted sometime tomorrow. Until then, feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	13. The Twin Ghosts Are Super Relatable

**Chapter 13 – The Twin Ghosts Are Super Relatable**

 **Amitie's POV**

" _P-Please…L-Leave us alone…_ _ **HAVE MERCY!**_ "

" _ **I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH!**_ "

I felt the tip of his shoe hit my stomach hard, bringing excruciating pain to it. It felt like I was going to puke everything I ate that day. I was crying in pain, begging him to stop. But he just kept on hitting me. Each hit getting harder and harder. I was pretty sure that I was bleeding internally at this point. I remember struggling to turn my head to where Mom was. I remember seeing that she was unconscious, bleeding from her head and bruises all over her body. It was a horrific sight that completely broke me.

" _I-I'm sorry...mommy…_ " _Were the last words I remember saying before falling unconscious myself._

" _Why? Why is such a horrible memory…still in my mind?_ _ **WHY CAN'T I FORGET?!**_ "

It took me a while to notice that I ended up in the middle of a dark forest. I was already filled with fear from these thoughts, and this atmosphere wasn't making it better at all.

" _Wh-Where am I? Wh-What is this place?_ " I asked myself.

I had no idea which way I entered this forest. So I kept walking in one direction hoping to find an exit to anywhere but here. After what felt like an hour, I took a break and leaned against a nearby tree. As I stood there, the thoughts kept swarming my mind. And made me feel worse than before.

I felt pain in the same spots as I remember it. Like I was getting a second helping of that awful beating. I couldn't move. The pain was too strong.

Too realistic.

Too…familiar.

All I could do was stoop down to the bottom of the tree, crying at the pain that somehow replicated the same exact feeling that happened one month ago.

I started tugging on my hat to cover my face from the tears, but it wouldn't budge. I tried pulling harder, but it still didn't move. I started getting angry and begun pulling it from the little flap at the top.

" **This is all YOUR fault, you damn piece of fabric! Why you'd had to get stuck on MY head?! JUST WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!** "

Then all of a sudden I felt a weird power coming from the hat. I let go of it fearing what it's going to do next. And then next thing I knew, I was being electrocuted. I tried to move, but with the little energy I currently had plus the high voltage running thru my body, I couldn't move an inch.

I fell to the dirt covered ground unable to move. Surprisingly, I haven't run out of tears. Because a bunch of them ran down my face as I felt my body shutting down.

" _Th…This is it. Th-This is how…I die. I-I've had this…feeling before. O…O-Once…by my own father. A…A-And now by a…st...stupid hat that's making me relive such a…nightmare. E-Everyone here…I'm going to miss them all._

 _Mom…_

 _Lidelle…_

 _The others…_

 _But most of all, I'm going to miss…her._

 _R-Raffina…_

 _I-I…I'm sorry…_ "

I felt my thoughts, good and bad, go away as I lost conscious on the dirt ground. It would only be a matter of time before I would completely drop dead and leave this world that was once my home.

* * *

" _Ow…my head. Wh-What…What happened?_ "

I really don't know how long I was unconscious. But when I came to, I found myself on what looked and felt like a bed. It was worn-out with some of its springs sticking out, but it was surprisingly comfortable. I tried to move around the bed, but my body was still weak from the pain the hat gave me.

Speaking of which…

I checked my head to see what the hat was doing…but I didn't feel it. All I felt was my hair. It was gone. It was finally gone! That nuisance of a fashion accessory is finally off my head! I wanted to cry tears of joy! But I did so much crying beforehand that my eyes were red and puffy. So all I could do was hum to myself in blissfulness.

"Hey looky looky, Rei! I think she's waking up!"

I heard what sounded like a girl's voice coming from my left side. But when I looked over there nobody was there. Which left me confused.

"Don't get too close, Yu. You'll scare her."

Now I heard what sounded like a boy's voice coming from the opposite direction. But when I managed to turn my head, it was the same outcome as before. I was starting to get scared. I had no idea where these voices were coming from and I was starting to believe that I was losing my mind.

" _H-Hello? W-Who's there?_ " I asked.

But didn't get an answer.

" _C-Come out already! This isn't funny!_ "

Still no answer.

I used the little energy I gained from lying down and sat on the edge of the bed. I looked around the area I was at (which was an old abandoned house) and didn't see a single person within my view.

" _Hello? Anyone here? I could use some help…_ " I called out again thinking I was going to get the same outcome. But then…

"Yu rang?"

" **GAAAAHHH!** "

All of a sudden, something appeared right in front of me. It looked like a girl. She had a turquoise hair color and purple eyes. She was wearing a white cloak type thing with what looked like a face drawn on the hood. I looked down to her feet to see that she didn't have any. Wait…

" **Y-You don't have any legs!** " I shouted.

"Well, duh. It's kinda normal for us to not have legs." The girl said.

" _N-Normal? A-Are you a…_ "

"Ghost? Indeedy."

" _S-So, if you're a ghost, and I can see you, then that means…_ "

"Indeedy."

" **I DIED!** "

"Indee-wait, what? No!"

"H-Huh?"

"You're still alive. It's just that everybody can see us."

"Uh…us?" I asked while tilting my head.

"Yeah. Us."

…

"B-But there's no one behind you."

"Huh?"

The ghost girl turned around to see that I was right and that there was nobody else in the room we were in. Again, so I thought.

"Hey, Rei! Stop being so shy! Come on out already!" The girl shouted.

Soon after, another ghost appeared right next to the first one. Other than the fact that it was a boy with blue hair that covered his eyes, the two looked completely identical to each other.

"Woah. Are you guys twins?" I asked.

"Indeedy! I'm Yu!" The girl replied.

"I'm Rei." The boy said after.

"And we're the super popular twin ghosts of Primp Town!"

"Super popular."

The two ghosts flew around the room and did a funny looking pose with one of their arms crossing each other and pointing to the ceiling. I found it hilarious as I giggled a bit.

"I'm Amitie. Nice to meet you two."

"Amitie. Name really fits you." Yu said.

"Really? How so?"

"It means "friend" in French." Rei answered.

"Oh, yeah. I remember Mom telling me that."

After giggling for a bit at the response I made, I looked around the place I was at. An old abandoned house with a bunch of holes in the floor and walls. It also had more cobwebs than my house did when we first moved here. And despite being dark outside (even though it was morning when I left the school) there was enough light to fill the whole house.

"Hey, guys? So, what is this place?" I asked.

"This is our home. We brought you here after finding you unconscious in the middle of the forest." Yu said.

"R-Really?! Thank you both! You saved my life! But…"

"You're wondering where your hat is, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

"We have it." Rei answered.

"How'd you get it off?"

"We used a spell that only ghost can use. We've learned it a long time ago." Yu answered.

"Um, okay then." I didn't want to question that.

"Amitie…How did you get that hat, anyway?"

What Yu asked me was a huge surprise. First, she and Rei were able to get it off my head, now she's asking how I got it? Is it possible that…

"I-It was in Oshare's shop. I tried it on and it never came off until now." I replied.

"I see. Did it do anything weird since then?"

"Well…it copied my emotions by glowing a strange hue that matched the emotion I was feeling…"

"Uh-huh…"

"Then earlier today, the hat glowed differently and it ended up restoring my energy…"

"Okay…"

"Then… that hat… _that damn hat…_ " I started tearing up when trying to remember the third thing the hat did to me.

"Amitie…you okay?" Rei asked. He sounded concerned, but I couldn't really tell from his face.

" _Y-Yeah…it's just…that hat…It made me remember horrible stuff from my past. And when I tried to take it off myself, it electrocuted me._ "

"That's what I wanted to hear." Yu said.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

"These memories…You were assaulted, were you?" Yu asked, which took me off guard.

"Y-Yeah. Me and my mom." I said.

"And it was by your dad, wasn't it?"

All I did was a simple nod.

"Thought so." Yu said.

"Yu, how do you know about the hat and what it did to me?" I asked.

Yu didn't say anything. Instead, she turned to look at Rei, who had the same worried(?) look from before. He gave Yu a simple nod, which made her smile, and returned the nod before turning back to me.

"You see…a long time ago…we too were assaulted."

" **R-Really?!** " I shouted.

"It was our dad who did it. We were left alone with him, and he had a serious drinking problem. He got angry at us for accidentally breaking something, and he took the punishment too far."

"W-Wait, you don't mean…"

"Yeah. He ended up killing us in the process."

For a moment, I was speechless. While Mom and I were lucky enough to survive our attack, these two actually **DIED** from theirs. I felt lucky to be alive, but at the same time…I felt sorry for Yu and Rei, who used to be normal twin kids. But now live their lives as twin ghosts.

"I-I'm sorry." I managed to say.

"Don't be." Rei said.

"Rei's right." Yu added. "It may have cost us our lives, but we're glad that we're finally free from that torturous nightmare. We could finally live in peace after so long."

" _ **Live**_ in peace? I thought it was _**rest**_ in peace."

"Well…yeah, it is. But for us it's different."

"How so?"

"When we became ghosts, we had no memory of what happened when we were alive. We were lost in this forest, cold and afraid. We didn't know what to do. But then, we found this hat that was similar to yours. It was purple and had big eyes that kept blinking.

 _A purple hat that kept blinking? It couldn't be…_

"Out of curiosity, I put the hat on my head and it started doing weird stuff. Eventually, it made me remember what happened that night and how we became ghosts. It was too painful and scary to relive so I tried to take it off, but it wouldn't budge. We kept pulling on it with all our might, but then it suddenly electrocuted us, and we fell unconscious."

"Just like what happened to me." I said.

"We then woke up in this house, which just happened to be the same house we lived in when we were alive."

" **S-Seriously?!** "

"Yeah." Rei Replied.

"The hat made us relive all sorts of memories based on this house. Some good, some bad, and then that one memory. Despite that one memory, we've lived here ever since. And locked the hat away so it wouldn't hurt anyone else again. But when we found you in the forest, we realized that there was more than one hat."

"Wow. That's some story." I said.

"Yeah." Rei replied.

"So, the Red Puyo Hat is locked away with the Purple Puyo Hat?"

"Yes, but not in the same container. We don't know what will happen if they were all together, and don't want to risk it." Yu explained.

"Yeah, that makes sense." I agreed.

"Sorry for bombarding you with questions, but do you mind if I ask one more?"

"Don't apologize. You saved my life. I owe you. So, if you need to know anything about the hat, ask away."

"Wow, okay. Well…what happened after the hat brought back those memories?"

I thought about it for a bit. Most of it was a total blur. Except for one thing.

"Well…I remember running out my school crying. And my friend was calling out to me."

"Your friend?"

"Y-Yeah. She's nice and sweet and caring. Strong, too. And…" I started blushing while I was describing Raffina, my best friend(?). Then something slipped out that I wish it didn't.

"… _A-And she's really cute._ " I whispered.

"What was that last thing?" Yu asked.

"N-Nothing!"

"Liar." Rei said.

"I-I'm not lying!"

" _Ooo_. _I get it now._ " Yu spoke again.

"G-Get what?! Th-There's nothing to get! J-Just drop it, already!"

"You don't have to hide it. _***giggle***_ _._ " She teased.

" **THERE'S NOTHING TO HIDE!** " I yelled. I was making the same face as the hat would make when copying my emotions. I wanted to make Yu stop teasing me, but as I was going to…

" _ **KYYAAAA!**_ "

"Woah, what was that? It sounded like a girl's scream." Yu asked.

"It came from outside." Rei replied.

"Probably from the forest. Come on, Rei! Let's go look!"

"Kay."

The two ghosts flew out the house and headed for the forest.

"Wha? Guys, w-wait up!" I shouted as I ran after them. They flew so fast. Not surprisingly, since they are ghosts. But I did manage to catch up to them, as they were standing (well, floating) at this spot next to a tree.

"Hey, Amitie…do you know this girl?" Yu said with a worried look on her face.

I walked up next to the two of them to see who they were looking at. And I nearly started crying at what I was seeing.

" **Oh My God.** **That's Raffina!** "

It truly was Raffina. Bruised up, passed out, and wearing a blue hat on her head.

" **Guys Help me carry her!** "

Yu, Rei, and I each grabbed a part of Raffina and started carrying her back to the house. The whole way there, I was in extreme panic.

 _Wh-What the hell is she doing here?! A-And where did she get that hat?!_ _ ***whine***_ _Raffina! Please! Please don't die!_

 _I still…have to tell you._

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **Like I said, no rewriting for this chapter. Just some grammar fixes. Next two will be the same way. Feel free to review, favorite, and/or follow the story. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	14. Released Secrets

**Chapter 14 – Released Secrets**

 **Raffina's POV**

 _Ow…my head. No…my entire body is in pain. How did I end up like this? I don't even remember getting hurt. All I do remember was going to the forest to save…_

 _Amitie…_

 _Amitie…_

" **AMITIE!** " I shot up from what felt like a bed and looked at my surroundings.

" **H-Huh?! Wh-Where am I?! Wh-What the hell is this place?!** "

It looked like I was in some kind of old abandoned house with holes everywhere and more cobwebs than when Amitie and Melody moved here. I tried getting off the bed, but my body was aching like crazy. The most I could do was sit on the edge of the bed. I rubbed my the top of my head from a massive headache I somehow had when I noticed something was missing.

"Wait…the hat. **Where's the hat?! Aw damnit! I Lost it! How the hell am I going to find Amitie now?!** "

Right when I finished freaking out, I heard footsteps coming from outside the room I was in. Normally, I wouldn't be scared right now. But with my body being in so much pain, I can't do anything to fight back if I need to. So I didn't have a choice **but** to be scared. Then the door began to slowly creek open.

At this point, I was terrified. I had no idea who was behind the door, or more importantly, who brought me here. So I was really prepared for the worse. The door fully opened and in came the one person I did not expect but was so happy to see.

"Raffina…?"

"Amitie…?"

" **YOU'RE OKAY!** " We both yelled.

Amitie then came charging towards me and hugged me tight with both arms around me. I did the same and we held each other for what felt like an hour. When it was actually about a half minute. That's how long it took us to notice what we were doing, and we let go of each other with our faces beat red from embarrassment.

"I-I'm glad you're safe, Amitie." I said to break the awkward silence.

"W-Well, I-I'm glad you're not seriously hurt, Raffina. When we found you, it looked like you were a goner."

"Huh? _**We**_? What do you mean _**we**_?"

"Yu rang?" Then out of nowhere, a ghost of a girl appeared in front of us.

" **GAAHHH!** " I screamed.

"Yeah. She did the same thing to me too." Amitie said trying to comfort me.

"Huh? You mean you know her?"

"Indeedy! I'm Yu! Nice to meet you!" The ghost said.

 _Someone's a bit too cheerful…_

"Uh…my name's Raffina. Nice to meet you as well."

"Hey, Yu. Where did Rei go?" Amitie asked.

"He went to find the first-aid kit. It's been a long time since we used it, so it would take a while."

"Yeah. That makes sense."

"Wait, who's Rei?" I asked.

"I'm Rei." Then suddenly, like if it was almost timed or something, a ghost of a boy popped up right next to Yu holding a first-aid kit.

" **GAAAHHH!** S-Seriously! Stop doing that! You're going to give me a heart attack!"

"Sorry." Rei apologized.

"Yeah, sorry. Anyway…this is Rei, my twin brother."

"You guys are…twins?"

"Indeedy."

"Yeah."

The more I looked at the two ghosts, the more confused I got. I honestly didn't see the resemblance of the two but didn't want to tell them that.

 _I wonder. Are they…fraternal twins?_

"Yes, we are fraternal twins." Yu suddenly spat out.

" **H-Huh?! W-Wait! D-Did you just…** "

"Read your mind? Indeedy! We ghosts gain this power when we die. It's proven to be very useful."

" _R-Really, now?_ " I didn't want to question such a claim.

I could hear Amitie giggling next to me at my creeped out confusion. Which honestly made me happy a little. Unfortunately for her, Yu also noticed.

"Aw, Amitie. You think Raffina's confusion is cute. How sweet." She said.

"Sweet." Rei followed.

" **W-W-W-WHAT?!** " Amitie shouted in shock. Yu and Rei had read her mind as well and hearing her thought become words really took a toll on me. My cheeks were burning red now. Hearing that Amitie thought me being confused was cute…my heart won't stop pounding now. God, these new feelings are killing me.

" **G-Guys! S-Stop reading our minds! It's an invasion of privacy!** " Amitie yelled. Her cheeks were just as red as mine.

" _Sorry._ " Yu was laughing in hysterics at our flushed faces while Rei stood next to her with only a smile.

"Geez." Amitie said with a sigh.

"Anyway…let's get you two bandaged up, shall we?" Yu said.

* * *

After the ghost had bandaged up the necessary spots, they offered us some snacks and drinks (apparently ghost still need to eat and drink in order to survive. Go figure) and we ate some to replenish our health. While eating, I noticed that Yu was staring at me with a serious look on her face, which creeped me out a little.

"What?" I asked.

"Raffina, we need to talk." Yu said with a serious tone.

"Oh boy. I know where this is going." Amitie said.

"Huh? Talk about what?"

"That hat you came here with. It was really careless of you to wear it in the first place."

" **C-Careless?! I was trying to find Amitie! How is** _ **that**_ **careless?!** " I immediately got angry at the fact that how Yu actually said that.

"Because you almost **DIED** while doing so."

"Wh…What?"

 _Did she say what I think she said? I…almost died?! H-How?! How was I close to dying?!_

"The same thing happened to me." Amitie added.

"R-Really?!"

"W-Well…t-twice."

"Twice?! Wait, when was the first time?!"

Amitie shook her head then turned to face Yu.

"Hey, guys. Can we have some time alone?" She asked. Yu understood completely and disappeared out of the room, and Rei soon followed. Once they were gone, Amitie faced me again and let out a big long sigh.

"Raffina…I have to be honest with you. There's a reason why Mom and I moved to Primp. And you're not going to like it."

"Amitie. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I'm your best friend. I'll completely understand." I said without even giving it a thought, which was probably a mistake.

"R-Really? Um, okay. W-Well…" Amitie stuttered a bit while looking down on the floor.

"Amitie. It's okay."

Amitie raised her head up and looked at me with a quick smile. All I could think about was how cute it was to see her smile. But that smile quickly disappeared and went back to a frown as Amitie was about to say something.

"Y-You see…me and my mom…w-we were assaulted."

My face turned to shock.

"B-By…my father." She continued.

As Amitie continued to explain what her father was like and the things he did to them, I started to tear up. What she went through during that time and the effect it had on her…I knew something was wrong with her the moment I laid eyes on her. And I even had some suspicions of my own. But then at some point, I brushed it off like it was nothing.

 _What the hell?_ _ **What kind of friend does that?! I truly am the worst!**_

" _I'm sorry_ …"

" _I'm sorry_ …"

" _I'm sorry_ …"

I kept whispering these words over and over while trying to hold back my tears. That's when I felt two arms wrap around me and brought me closer to Amitie. She had pulled me into a hug and I was about to lose it.

"Why are you apologizing?" Amitie asked in a soothing tone.

" _B-Because…I-I failed to notice your suffering and…_ " I was having a hard time talking because I was on the brink of emotional collapse.

"No…it's my fault for not telling you guys earlier. I thought I could keep this hidden inside me and forget it, but…"

At that moment I felt tears running down my shoulder.

" _ **I didn't think it would almost kill not only me, but you as well! Raffina! I'm the one who should be sorry! Please forgive me!**_ " Amitie bellowed out crying full hard tears over my shoulder.

" _ **Amitie!**_ " And I immediately did the same.

We were crying so much that we didn't notice Yu and Rei had come back into the room. When we did, we calmed down a little so we could talk better.

" _Yu. Rei. Thank you both for saving our lives. But we really need to get home now._ " I said in a weak and teary state.

" _Aw, leaving so soon?_ " Yu whined.

"Yeah, we really need to. My mom doesn't know I'm here." Amitie added.

"Alright. We'll show you the way out, right Rei?"

"Sure." Rei answered.

* * *

The four of us left the somewhat abandoned house and walk down a path in the forest. After a 30-minute walk, we were able to see the exit at the end of the path, then Yu and Rei turned to face us.

"This is as far as we can go. You guys will have to walk the rest of the way there." Yu said.

"Huh? You guys don't want to meet everybody?" Amitie asked.

"Well, we would. But…we're ghosts. We…kinda have a reputation, you know."

"Oh…right."

Amitie turned to look at me and I gave her a smile. She smiled back at me then faced the ghost duo again.

"Well, it was nice meeting the two of you. Thanks again for rescuing us."

"Yeah. I hope we could see each other again." I added.

We each said our final goodbyes and me and Amitie started walking down the remaining path to the exit. While walking, I noticed that Amitie still didn't have the Red Puyo Hat with her.

"Hey, Amitie? What happened the that Red Puyo Hat?" I asked.

"Oh, it's at Yu and Rei's house. While I was unconscious, they managed to get the hat off. And they're keeping it under lock and key at their place." She explained.

"Oh…" I looked straight forward trying to utter the next phase out of my mouth.

" _Y-You do look cuter without it._ " I said while blushing.

" _O-Oh. R-Really? Th-Thanks, Raffina._ " Amitie was blushing as hard as I was while stuttering her response. "Oh, that reminds me…"

"Reminds you of what?" I asked.

"When we found you…you were wearing the Blue Puyo Hat. How did you find it so quickly?"

"Well, to be honest…it's Tarutaru's"

"What?! Really?!" Amitie sounded surprised.

"Yeah. He said it's a family treasure passed down for generations. It's said that the Blue Puyo Hat can let the wearer see the futures of other people. Which is why he kept his distance from everyone."

"Oh, wow."

"Hopefully, he doesn't mind that I'm coming back without it."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Amitie said with confidence.

Hearing her say that really made me feel better. Hopefully, I'll get to explain to Tarutaru why I left the hat there.

"Yeah, you're right." I responded.

After a few more minutes of walking, we were able to reach the forest exit, where a few people were waiting for us.

"They're coming, meow!" yelled Popoi.

"Amitie! Raffina!" shouted Lidelle.

"Hey, everyone." we both said as we exited the forest.

" **AMITIE!** " Then we were blindsided when Melody came at Amitie and held her in what looked like a really tight hug.

" **YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU! WHEN LIDELLE TOLD ME YOU RAN CRYING TOWARDS A FOREST I THOUGHT I'D LOST YOU!** " she yelled while crying as a scared mother should.

Which to be honest, was a total shock to me.

" _Mom. I'm sorry for making you freak out so much, but I really can't breathe right now._ " Amitie said with the few remaining oxygen she had.

"Oh. ***** _ **sniff**_ ***** Sorry." Melody had let go of Amite and she was taking deep breaths to regain some air.

"Well then, I'm glad the two of you are safe." Ms. Accord said cheerfully.

"Thank you, Ms. Accord." I replied. At that moment, I heard a familiar voice yelling from far away.

" **RAFFINA!"** It was Amira. I was actually surprised to see her here.

"Amira?! What are you doing here?" I asked.

" **What do you mean** " **What am I doing here?!** " **Do you know how worried Lily and I were?!** " she said angrily.

"Y-You?! Were worried about me?!"

" **Well, duh! I mean, you ARE my little sister! I have to protect you no matter what, don't I?!** "

…

…

"Who are you, and what have you done to my older sister?" I asked.

" _Oh, very funny!_ "

"But still…thanks for coming to find me, Amira. You really are reliable."

"Wh-What's that supposed to mean?!"

" _ ***giggle***_ Nothing."

"When then, everyone. It's getting late. I believe it's time we all headed home." Ms. Accord said.

"Okay." We all agreed.

* * *

After everybody had gone home, Lidelle and I packed an overnight bag and walked over to Amitie's house. When we got there, Amitie and I took our baths while Lidelle and Melody went to get dinner. After our baths, the two of us were sitting on our futons recalling everything that had happened the past few days. That's when Amitie started talking.

"Hey, Raffina…"

"Yeah, Amitie?" I replied.

"You know…when I was unconscious, I had some thoughts."

"Really? About what?" I asked.

"Thoughts about me moving here with Mom, going to a new school, meeting all sorts of new friends…and Klug."

We both laugh at the joke a little, then Amitie continued on.

"They were good memories, but the huge majority of those memories were with you."

"With me?"

"Yeah. The day we first saw each other, our first school day together, the sleepover. Even with the whole Puyo Hat madness, I still had fun whenever you were around."

"You know, I've felt the same way too, Amitie." I said. We were both blushing, but not because of embarrassment. We both felt really happy at the moment. I never want this mood to end.

"So during those last few moments of the hat being stuck on my head…after all the bad stuff it's done to me, it did do one good thing. It made me realize something."

After saying that, Amitie held both of my hands and looked straight at me in the eyes. My heart was racing at this point. For the first time in my life, I had butterflies in my stomach.

Then…she said it. she said the words that I never knew how to say myself but wanted to say to her.

"Raffina…I love you."

I felt my heart beating like crazy. I've never felt this way for anyone before. Let alone, another girl. I guess Lidelle was right when she didn't want to help me. Because figuring it out yourself feels so much better.

"Amitie…I love you too." I said back.

Tears were falling down our faces as we held each other tightly close together. Then we looked at each other, eyes still filled with tears, and smiled hugely.

"Sh-Should we…kiss?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah." Amitie replied.

We brought our heads closer and closer until…our lips had touched. It was such a passionate first kiss. Amitie's lips felt so soft. It felt like I was kissing a piece of slime. Only more logical. And it felt right.

After what felt like a blissful 20 minutes (even though it was actually 10x less than that), we parted our lips and stared at each other out of amassment.

" _Wow…_ " We both said.

" **Oh, I'm so proud of you, Ami! You finally came out of the closet!** " We heard Melody's voice and turned to see her standing near the hallway.

" **M-Mom?! Wh-When did you get back here?!** " Amitie asked in shocked.

"Around the time you said, _'I love you'_. Melody replied.

"Geez. Way to kill the mood."

"I tried holding her back as long as I could." Lidelle said as she entered the living room.

"Well, at least you tried, Lidelle." I said.

"But how could I miss something so exciting as my daughter confessing to her first love?" Melody asked.

" **Mom!** " Amitie shouted.

"Alright, alright."

"Anyway, can we eat now? I'm starving." I said.

"Yeah, me too. I haven't really eaten much all day." Amitie agreed.

"Sure, sure. Here's some pizza for the lovely lesbo lovers." Melody answered.

"Are you going to tease me about this now?"

"Yep, pretty much."

"Meanie."

"Silly."

We all laugh it off and we ate the pizza brought home for dinner.

* * *

Later that night, I found myself staring at the ceiling reminding myself of what happened just a few hours ago. Each time I did, I would laugh a little while covering my mouth, because everyone else was sleeping at the time. Well, most of them.

" _What are you laughing at?_ " Amitie whispered as she turned to me.

" _Oh, sorry. Did I wake you?_ " I asked her.

" _No, not really. I wasn't asleep, anyway._ "

" _Well, that's good._ "

Amitie scooted over towards me and gave me a small peck on the lips as she snuggled up against me.

" _I'm really glad you became my girlfriend, Raffina._ "

I smiled and returned the kiss to her.

" _The feeling's mutual, Amitie. It really is._ " I said to her.

We both snuggled up against each other and fell asleep within each other's arms.

In pure peaceful bliss.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **No changes here, either. The last chapter will be the same way. Thanks for reading. Later.  
**


	15. Amitie's Sweet Birthday

**Chapter 15 – Amitie's Sweet Birthday**

 **Amitie's POV**

It's been a little over 4 months since Raffina and I confessed our feelings for each other and became a couple. The days have been nothing more but pure blissfulness. Mainly because I been spending them with my mom, my friends, and most important of all, the love of my life.

Today, on the other hand, was more than just a blissful day. As today was May 5th, which just happens to be my birthday.

The day started off like normal. And by normal, I mean trying to wake Mom up because she slept thru the alarm…again.

" _Oh…hey, Ami. Happy Birthday!_ " she said, still half asleep.

"Geez, Mom. You're not going to sleep through my birthday, are you?"

"What? No! Why would you think that?!"

"Because you've been doing all-nighters non-stop since you've started writing this light novel that I still know nothing about."

Mom took a deep sigh then sat up from her futon.

"Well, you don't have to worry anymore, Ami. I've actually finished the light novel."

"W-Wait, you did? When?"

"Just last night. I just have to re-read it to make sure there aren't any mistakes and then send it to my boss."

"Have you even met your boss yet?"

"Well…no. But a friend of mine said he's nice and really wise."

"What?! _**You**_ have friends?! Oh, Mom, I'm so proud of you!" I shouted sarcastically.

"That was uncalled for." Mom pouted.

"It's payback for you teasing me and Raffina all the time."

"Whatever."

After spending another 5 minutes trying to wake Mom up again (because she fell back asleep when I was in the shower), we were sitting on our futons eating something other than instant ramen for a change. Ever since Raffina and I started dating, Raffina's been really persistent on buying us groceries and stuff for us. Of course, Mom kept refusing. But eventually, she gave in. And so today, we were eating homemade pancakes with bacon and eggs as side dishes.

"Aren't you glad you let Raffina help us, Mom?" I asked her while cutting a piece of the pancakes.

"I guess…still doesn't feel right to have a 16-year-old girl do food shopping for a 33-year-old woman." Mom replied with discouragement.

"You're forgetting that said 16-year-old girl is also my girlfriend."

"Yeah, but…"

As Mom was about to explain what she meant with that thought of hers, the doorbell rang, and I got up to answer it.

" **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMITIE!** " Shouted Raffina and Lidelle as I opened the door.

"Aw, thanks guys!" I said as I hugged the two of them. Then I kissed Raffina and we nuzzled up against each other.

"Uh, guys…I'm still here." Lidelle reminded us. I then broke off the group hug and Raffina and I started rubbing the back of our heads out of embarrassment.

"S-Sorry, Lidelle." We both said.

"You guys really need to tone it down with the public affections. It's a bit much, even if you were straight."

"I can't help it. Every time I'm with Raffina, I feel so happy inside that I end up doing…well…that."

"Same here…but Lidelle's right, Amitie. We have been a little **too** affectionate lately." Raffina said.

"Yeah…we'll try to moderate the lovey-doveyness for you okay, Lidelle?"

"D-Don't call it that, Amitie!" Lidelle said as she suddenly started blushing.

"Wow, Lidelle. This is the first time I've actually seen you blush." I noted.

"W-What?"

"Yeah, me too. It's actually kinda cute." Raffina added.

"Can we get a picture with you? It's too cute to pass up a photo." I asked.

" **S-Seriously, you guys! K-Knock it off!** " Lidelle said as she hid her faces with her sleeves.

" **SO CUTE!** " We both squealed.

"Ami, shouldn't you be heading to school now?" Mom said as she walked up to the front door, still eating the pancakes that she was against having a 16-year-old girl buy for her in the first place.

"Morning, Melody. I see you're enjoying the breakfast that I, a 16-year-old girl, bought for you. Is it better than eating instant ramen every day?" Raffina asked sarcastically with a smug on her face.

"Not you too, Raffina." Mom sighed.

"You've been teased this morning, too?" Lidelle asked Mom.

"Yeah, but I kinda deserved it for teasing them about their relationship."

"At least you're honest about it…"

"Anyway, Mom, we'll be at the sweets parlor after school to get ready for the party. You do know how to get there, right?" I asked.

"Ami, we've been here for a month. I'm pretty sure I can figure out my way thru this town at this point." Mom said while sounding annoyed.

"Ok, ok. I was just asking."

"But…I've got to run some errands before I go there."

"Huh? What errands?"

"It's a secret, Ami."

I actually got a little nervous after hearing that.

"And no, it doesn't involve me endangering my health. So you don't have anything to worry about, Ami." Mom said with a smile.

"I-I wasn't thinking that! But good. See you later, then." I said as I turned around and started running down the block.

"A-Amitie! Wait for us!" Raffina yelled as she started running to catch up to me.

"Guys! Wait! You know I can't run that good!" Lidelle shouted while struggling to catch up.

"Have fun, girls." Mom said as she waved us goodbye. Again, still with the pancakes that a 16-year-old girl bought for her.

* * *

After we reached the school, we had to get Lidelle some water because she nearly passed out on the way here. When she was all well again, we went to the classroom where, yet again, Ms. Accord wasn't there and talked a little while waiting for class to begin.

"Hey, Lidelle. Have you heard from Tarutaru recently?" Raffina asked.

"Yes, actually. He emailed me last night. Said that he's doing fine but doesn't know when he'll be back sadly." Lidelle said.

"It sucks that I never got to meet him. I wanted to thank him for helping me out earlier." I added.

A few days after the whole Puyo Hat incident, Tarutaru had moved away because apparently he wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the Blue Puyo Hat. I was the last to know this because I stayed home for a week to recover from my injuries. Lidelle has been keeping in touch with him, sending and receiving emails on a weekly basis. In the meantime, it's just me, Raffina, Lidelle, and Klug. Speaking of the later…

"Y'know, Klug's been really silent lately. I wonder what's with him?" I asked.

"Well from what I heard, Klug felt really bad for making you cry like that. I've also heard that many of the other students have been blaming him for what happen to you." Lidelle explained.

"Although he sort of deserves it, it isn't entirely his fault." Raffina said.

"Yeah." I agreed. "I should go talk to him."

"Really? Are you sure?" Raffina asked.

"Well, I mean why not? Like you said, it isn't entirely his fault. I feel bad that he honestly thinks that."

"You're a really caring person, Amitie." Lidelle said.

"Which is one of the reasons why I fell in love with you." Raffina added.

"Th-Thanks, guys." I blushed lightly with a smile on my face.

Then as if the whole thing was timed perfectly, Klug walked in the classroom and sat in his desk with his head on the table. All without saying a word, which that in itself was unlike him. He would usually walk in boasting about great he was and throw insults at Raffina, which would lead to them arguing. Now he's just wallowing in his desk in silence.

"Wow, Amitie. You weren't kidding when you said Klug's been acting weird." Raffina whispered.

I got up from my desk and walked over to Klug, who from what it looks like…was sleeping.

"Hey, Klug?" I said while nudging his shoulder to wake him up. When he raised his head up from his desk, I noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes.

 _Has he not been sleeping?_

"Oh…Hey, Amitie. I see you're feeling better." Klug said with an exhausted tone.

 _Not even a salutations? Something really is wrong with him._

"Y-Yeah. Much better." I said.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay now." Klug said with a faint smile.

"I wish I could say the same thing about you, Klug." I said.

"Huh? What do mean?"

"You know **exactly** what I mean! I mean, look at you! You look exhausted and your eyes are black!"

Klug looked away from me and sighed. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice."

"Klug…what happened to you?"

"Well, I'm sure you already know this, but ever since that day when you left the school crying, rumors have started that I bullied you to your breaking point. Since then, I've been getting tons of hate mail and even death threats from total strangers. I've been living in constant fear for my life, which has lead to me having sleepless nights. I didn't even want to come to school today, but my parents didn't give me a choice."

I was trying to hold back my tears...but failed to when they started to fall down my face. Raffina and Lidelle, who were listening in the background, were also in shock. Nobody should have to live in constant fear like this. Not me, not Mom, not even someone like Klug.

"K-Klug, why didn't you say anything?" I asked.

"Oh, please. Why the hell would **ANYONE** help the boy who supposedly bullied a girl to the brink of tears?! My reputation and life are done for! Just leave me here so I can wallow in tears caused by the severe hatred that I truly deserve!" Klug slammed his head on his desk and begun crying heavy tears which got his desk soaking wet.

I turned to the other two girls, during which Raffina got up from her desk and walked over to Klug's desk, where she stood next to me and over Klug's depressed self. Then, she did something that truly shocked the three of us in the room. Raffina grabbed Klug from the back of his vest and pulled him up to a standing stance. Then…

 ***SLAP***

…She slapped him across the face. Hard. So hard in fact, that it sent Klug tumbling back to his chair. And it left a red mark on his cheek.

" **Wha-What the hell?! What was that for?!** " Klug angrily said.

" **SHUT IT!** " Raffina yelled, and Klug immediately did so.

"We may not like each other, but I'm not going to just sit here and let someone suffer from severe harassment, that may lead to something worse, for something that wasn't completely their fault!"

"H-Huh? What are you talking about?" Klug asked.

"Amitie, care to explain?" Raffina said as she turned to me. I was still in shock by what she did just now. But managed to come to just in time.

"Uh…yeah. Right." I said.

So then I told Klug everything. About my father and what he did to me, about my hat and what it did to me, why Tarutaru had to leave so suddenly…I almost broke down crying reliving those memories again, but I knew that if I did, it would only make things worse for Klug. When I was finished explaining, Raffina held me tight to comfort me.

"W-Wow…that's…some story." Klug said.

"Do you understand now, Klug? You don't have to keep blaming yourself anymore." Raffina continued from earlier.

"Well, yeah I get it. But what about the others? There's no way they'll believe me."

"Y-Yeah, you do have a point."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." A random familiar voice said. We looked to where the voice came from to see Ms. Accord standing at the door entrance with her usual, yet somehow suspicious smile.

"Ms. Accord?! Were you listening the whole time?!" Lidelle asked.

"Well, not the _whole_ time. I came around the part where Raffina slapped Klug."

" _Hehhehheh…_ " Raffina awkwardly laughed.

"Anyway, no need to worry about everyone else. I'll go on ahead after school and explain to the others what happened that day. By the time you four show up, everything should be all cleared up."

"W-Wow! Th-Thank you, Ms. Accord! You're a life saver!" Klug yelled with glee.

"No problem at all. Now, let's get started. We're running a little late for class."

"Yes, Ms. Accord." We all said as we went back to our desk and begun class for the day.

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

After school, Ms. Accord kept her promise and went to the party ahead of us to clear up the rumors about Klug. About an hour later, we were on our way there ourselves. Me, Amitie, Lidelle, and…

"Come on, Klug. You're going to make us late." I said turning to him.

"I-I don't know about this. Do they even **want** me there?" Klug said, still feeling discouraged.

After Ms. Accord had left, Amitie had invited Klug to her birthday party held at the sweets parlor. It took a bit of convincing, but Klug eventually gave in and left the school with us to head for the parlor. But now it looks like he's having second thoughts.

"Aw come on, Klug. You're overreacting. Ms. Accord said she'll handle it and she will. So, you have nothing to worry about. Right, Raffina?" Amitie said while smiling at me.

"Right, Amitie!" I replied with my arm wrapped around her. Klug didn't say anything and instead kept looking at us with an embarrassing look on his face.

"What?" Amitie asked.

"N-Nothing." He said. "It's just you and Raffina have gotten rather…close…since that day."

"So no one told you?"

"Why would they?"

"Oh, right. Well…since that day, me and Raffina…became a couple."

"W-Wow, really?! I didn't think you swung that way, Raffina."

"Me neither at first. But when I saw Amitie for the first time, something inside me clicked…and then the other stuff happened." Raffina explained.

"I see. Well, I wish you two the best." What Klug said just now took all three of us by surprise.

"W-Wow, Klug. That's the first nice thing you've ever said to me." I said in disbelief.

"W-Well, if all goes well at the party, I've been thinking of turning over a new leaf of sorts. Being hated by everyone really isn't a good feeling." He said.

"Well, I'll be rooting for you, Klug."

"Me too." Amitie said.

"Me as well." Lidelle added.

"Th-Thanks, guys." Klug said looking more confident than earlier.

* * *

A couple more minutes of walking later and we ended up standing in front of the sweets parlor. Whatever confidence Klug had earlier seemed to disappear the moment we got there, but with a few more convincing from the three of us, he was ready to go inside…after the three of us. It's close enough, right?

When we went inside, there were students from other classes, along with Ms. Accord, Lemres, Oshare Bones, and Amira. Melody wasn't there yet. Don't know what errand would take nearly half the day to complete.

"Hey…Klug…" said one girl who walked up to us.

"O-Oh. You're from class D, right?" Klug spoke up.

"Yeah. We just want to apologize. Ms. Accord told us everything."

"We feel really bad for how we treated you. Could you ever forgive us?" Said a boy from class C.

"I forgive you, but I should be the one apologizing. I've been such a jerk to everyone for so long. Now actually seeing what you all deal with, it changed me. I plan to be nicer to people from now on."

"That would be greatly appreciated, Klug." Ms. Accord said.

"Well, now with that out of the way, what do you say we start this party, shall we?" Lemres said.

"Well, it's about time! I was starving through all that emotional stuff!" Amira shouted.

 _Geez, Amira. You could've at least pretend to care._

"Hold on there, Amira. First is the gifts."

"Gifts? Aw, come on, Lemres! I can't wait much longer!"

"Really, Amira? Are you sure you can't hold on much longer? Not even for my Triple Strawberry Cheesecake Supreme?"

"Tr-Triple…Strawberry…Cheesecake… **SUPREME?!** "

"Raffina. is that…" Amitie turned to me.

"Amira's favorite cake? Oh yeah, big time." I said.

"I…guess I can wait a little longer." Amira said after calming down a bit.

"Good girl. Now, who's first?"

* * *

The gift giving went by smoothly. Oshare Bones' gift was a tacky looking sweater with multiple colors on it. He said it was a psychedelic sweater.

I told Amitie what psychedelic meant, and suggested that she only wear it at home. She agreed without hesitation.

Lemres' gift was a giant gummy bear that had to be held with both hands. He said that it took him 3 days to make it by himself.

" _L-Lemres…h-how heavy is this thing?_ " Amitie asked while struggling to hold it.

"Oh, it's about um…5 pounds or so."

"F-Five pounds?!"

"Do you not like it?" Lemres sounded sad.

"No, no. I do like it. It'll take me a while to eat the whole thing, but I do like it. Thank you, Lemres."

"The pleasure's all mine, Amitie." Lemres chuckled as tipped his hat.

 _Good luck with that, Amitie._

Ms. Accord's gift was just a homework pass. She said that she was extremely busy with something leading up to today, so it was the best she could do at the last minute. When we asked what, all she said was that it was a secret, which was an answer that we were expecting.

Amira's gift was a simple birthday card. Inside was $20 and a note that read:

 _Happy Birthday, Amitie! May you and my little sis have many lesbo experiences together! Ciao!_

 _Amira_

Needless to say, I punched Amira in the arm for that joke.

Klug didn't have a gift, but how could he when he was told about this party at the last minute, along with what he's been dealing with this past month. Amitie said not to worry about it, but he insisted to make it up someday. And to also think of it as an apology gift.

Lidelle's gift was a pretty looking flower called the Moon-Sun Flower. Its petals were the same color as the moon and its center was the same color as the sun. It can receive energy from both the sun and the moon.

"Wow, Lidelle. This flower is pretty. Thank you." Amitie said in astonishment as she kept staring at the flower.

"You're welcome, Amitie. There's plenty more back at the shrine, so feel free to come by and pick some." Lidelle said.

"Huh? The shrine?"

"Yeah. I am a shrine maiden, after all."

"R-Really?!" Amitie, Klug, and I said in unison.

"Yes, really. I can understand Amitie not knowing, but I can't believe neither you or Klug knew this whole time, Raffina."

"Well, you never said anything about it, Lidelle." I said.

"Well, who do you think would chime those bells every New Year's when I'm trying to sleep, meow?" Popoi said.

"Popoi, shush!" Ms. Accord scolded him.

"Now I really want to see you in that shrine maiden outfit, Lidelle!" Amitie said fully elated.

"Well, you're going to have to wait 7 months for that, Amitie."

" **7 MONTHS?!** "

"That is when New Year's is."

"Fiddlesticks. I can still come over, right?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Yay! Let's go together, Raffina! It'll be our first date!"

"D-Date?!" I stuttered in shocked. It didn't take long for Amitie to realize what she just said, and started to blush out of embarrassment.

"S-Sorry. I wasn't thinking…" she said softly.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I mean, you **are** my girlfriend. Going on a date with you is perfectly normal. It's just the first time I've heard the words " _first date_ ", y'know?"

"Yeah, me too."

"Anyway, let me give you my gift next, Amitie." I said to break the awkwardness between us. I gave her a bag with the words " _Happy Birthday_ " printed across it. Amitie looked in the bag and pulled out a small box. As she opened it, her eyes grew wider. What was in the box was a hairpin that resembled a red blobby thing with eyes.

"Raffina, did you make this?" She asked.

"Yep. I do this as a hobby of mine. I made this one special. You like it?" I said.

"Like it?! I **LOVE** it! Thank you Raffina!" Amitie ran up to me and hugged me as she kissed me on the lips. I kissed her back and eventually we were cuddling each other right then and there.

"Uh…guys?" Lidelle said as she nudged my arm. We realized what we were doing and broke off each other's grasp.

"S-Sorry, everyone." We both said. Everybody in the room started laughing and we soon did the same.

"Oh good, I made it!" We hear a voice coming from the back of the parlor and as we turn around we see that it's Melody, who for some reason came in thru the back door.

"Geez, Melody. Late as always. I guess some things never change." Ms. Accord said.

"Give me a break, Accord. I had to do a quick errand."

"If it was a quick errand then why didn't you do it earlier?

"She probably fell asleep again. Typical, meow." Popoi added.

"I see you're as grumpy as ever, Popoi." Melody said while staring at him.

"What do you expect? I'm a cat. I'm always like this, meow."

The rest of us just stood there, not knowing what was happening right now.

"Mom, what's going on? How do you and Ms. Accord know each other?" Amitie asked.

"Seriously, Melody? You haven't told your own daughter yet?" Ms. Accord asked her.

"I was busy with the light novel! It slipped my mind! You know how I am, Accord. When I set my mind on something, other things are…less important."

"You really haven't changed at all, Melody."

"Uh…" At this point, we were more confused than earlier.

"Oh, so sorry, everyone. I got ahead of myself." Ms. Accord said then begun to clear her throat. "Well you see Amitie, your mom and I used to be classmates in high school."

"No way! Really?!" Amitie shouted.

"Yep. We were friends for all three years. Then when we graduated, your mom moved down south for college and I came here to become a teacher."

"Wow. Small world, right guys?"

"But wait, so does that mean there wasn't a school here?" I asked.

"Well, we're not from here. We went to a high school in a town called Suzuran City."

"Suzuran City? I have a cousin that lives there. She's the same age as me." Lidelle said.

"Really now? Small world indeed."

"Anyway!" Melody interrupted. "Enough about us, this is Ami's special day. You are going to flip out when you see what I got you for a present."

"Let me guess, Mom. Is it more teasing?" Amitie asked.

"No, of course not! Although now that I think about it…"

" **Mom!** "

"I was just kidding! Sheesh! Alright, you can come in now!"

"Huh? Who can come in now?"

"Hiya, Ami!" We heard a voice coming from the same area we heard Melody's voice. Then, out of the blue, a girl came out of the back room. She had orange hair made into a small ponytail and green eyes that were as bright as emeralds. She was wearing a weird looking combination of clothes. A red shirt with black long sleeves, black shorts, orange and white shoes, and a black and white baseball cap. I had no idea who this girl was, but from the look of Amitie's face when I turned to her, she clearly did.

" **Ally?! Is that you?!** " She yelled.

" **Surprise!** " The girl, who apparently is named Ally shouted.

Amitie ran towards Ally and the two hugged each other while screaming and jumping together. For some reason, while watching this happen I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

 _Is this what jealousy feels like?_

"Raffina, you okay? You look distraught." Lidelle asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Lidelle. I was just…thinking to myself." I answered.

"You don't need to worry about her, Raffina." Melody noticed the sad look on my face and came over to comfort me.

"I don't? How come?"

"Ally is Ami's childhood friend. They used to go to the same school in our old town. But when… **that** …happened, it was a real difficult goodbye for the two of them."

"I see."

At the same time, Amitie and Ally had finished their happy dance and had come over to where we were at.

"Ally, there are some people I want you to meet." Amitie said. "That boy to the right with the purple vest is Klug. He used to be an annoying, selfish jerk, but now he'll be a lot nicer."

"D-Did you really have to say the first part?" Klug asked.

"The girl with the green hair and the oversized sweater is my friend, Lidelle."

"Nice to meet you, Ally." Lidelle greeted while bowing. "And seriously, Amitie? You point out my sweater of all things? And it's not oversized, it's just…the sleeves are too big…"

"And the best part. The tall girl with the pink hair and the orange sailor suit…is my girlfriend, Raffina."

"It's not a sailor suit." I said, sounding slightly insulted.

"Your girlfriend? Wow, Ami. If I knew that you swung that way, I would've taken you for myself." Ally said with a flirty tone.

" **W-WHAT?!** "

" **ALLY!** " Amitie shouted at her.

"I'm only kidding, Ami. Man, Melody was right. Teasing you **is** fun!"

Amitie looked over at Melody with a pissed off look on her face.

" _Crap_. Uh, H-Hey look. Lemres is bringing out the cake. I'm going to go get some." Melody said nervously as she left to get cake.

"We're not done talking about this, Mom!" Amitie shouted across the room.

"Sorry, can't hear ya."

The rest of us were laughing at their antics yet again.

* * *

Hours passed, and the party had ended. Everyone had gone home except for me, Amitie, Melody, Lidelle, and Ally. We decided to help Lemres clean up the place since he had to leave early for a small emergency. While we were cleaning, we asked Ally some of those generic questions that you would normally ask someone when you first meet them. One of the answers Ally gave was quite interesting.

"Get real? You're CPR certified, Ally?" Amitie asked.

"Yep! I just finished the class last week. Want me to show you how it works?" She offered.

"You bet!"

"Alright. Hey, Lidelle, mind if use you for a sec?"

"Uh, sure Ally." Lidelle said. Ally then got behind Lidelle and prepared to demonstrate how it works.

"So, you want to come under into the Nissan Maximas…" Ally said as she wrapped her around Lidelle's chest.

"Really, Ally?" Amitie complained.

"Ami! Don't interrupt! You're going to make me lose my concentration!"

"Alright, fine. Continue."

"Thank you. So like I said, you want to come under into the Nissan Maximas, push right here, right under the Regis Philbin, until something pops out. Some people will do it wrong and will go right on top of the Nissan Altimas. You want to get underneath to the Nissan Maximas right here. Not too low to the Nissan Sentras. And you want to get them right in the Pathfinder."

As Ally was finishing the last sentence, she was pumping Lidelle so hard in the chest that Lidelle would often be lifted off the floor. She then stopped and let go of Lidelle, who was rubbing her chest in pain.

"Uh…Amitie? What the hell was she talking about?" I asked, completely lost during the entirety of Ally's demonstration.

"Ally got this " _technique_ " of hers from a TV show she loves to watch. It's about these four guys who knew each other since high school who go around the city they live in and compete to embarrass each other in front of other strangers. I forgot the name of it, but I'm not into it as much as she is." Amitie explained.

"So something she got from a TV show helped her become CPR certified?"

"It surprisingly works."

The rest of us gathered around Lidelle, who took a seat in a nearby chair to ease the pain.

"You okay, Lidelle?" I asked.

"I'm fine. It's just my chest hurts a little."

"Well…" The four of us said.

"Well, what?"

"Well, Lidelle…you kinda don't have…anything there." I said nervously.

" _B-B-B-B-But, I'm still growing! I'm only 15! I'm sure that they're just growing…slowly._ " Lidelle was intensively blushing at this point.

The rest of us didn't say anything else and went back to cleaning.

"Guys? **Guys! Don't awkwardly ignore me!** " She yelled.

* * *

About haft an hour later we finished cleaning and closed up the parlor. We were standing outside about to say our goodbyes.

"Gee, Ally. It was nice to see you again. Sucks that you have to go back." Amitie said.

"Huh? You mean you don't know?" Ally asked.

"Know what?"

"About that. I got one more surprise for you, Ami." Melody spoke up. "Ally's moving in with us!"

" **NO WAY?! REALLY?!** "

"Yep. All of my stuff's already at your house." Ally explained.

"Was this the errand you were talking about?" Lidelle asked Melody.

"Yep. I knew she was coming for weeks, so I decided to keep it a secret until today."

"I'm even going to the same school as you guys." Ally added.

"So…freaking… **AWESOME!** " Amitie shouted as she hugged Ally for the second time today. I wasn't as jealous as before when this happened, but the sight of it still bugged me a little.

"Well, good for you guys. I'm going home. See you tomorrow." I said then started walking the other direction.

"H-Hold up, Raffina!" Amitie said as she grabbed my hand with hers and held it tight. I turned around to face her, and she gave a long, passionate kiss on the lips. She soon wrapped her arms around her waist and I wrapped my arms around hers. Amitie's lips felt so soft against mine. After 2 minutes of what felt like the best we've had yet, we parted our lips and stared at each other in an intense glare of delightfulness.

"I love you, Raffina." Amitie said.

"I love you too, Amitie." I said back.

I watched as Amitie got into the car with Melody and Ally and they drove off in a different direction from where Lidelle and I were walking. The two of us then began walking to our homes. While doing so, I noticed Lidelle staring into space so intensively, like she was thinking of something big.

"Hey, Lidelle. You okay?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Raffina. I was just thinking about something." She answered.

"Is it about your chest?"

" **NO!** "

"Sorry, Sorry. What's on your mind, then?"

"Well, Ally said she was going to the same school as us, right? Do you think she'll be in our class, too?"

"Probably. Why you ask?"

"Eh…no reason." Lidelle started blushing when she said that. I didn't want her more uncomfortable than she already was, so I decided not to question it. We eventually parted ways and I started walking home by myself.

When I got home, it was pitch black aside from a single lamp in the living room. Amira and Lily had already gone to bed and probably forgot to turn it off. I turned the lamp off and headed for my room to take a shower.

After the shower, I laid in my bed staring at the ceiling. I remember doing this exact same thing before, only that time I didn't have a girlfriend. I closed my eyes and thought of all the madness that happened ever since Amitie moved here. Even though I almost died at one point, meeting Amitie was the best thing that could ever happen to me.

I grabbed a nearby pillow and snuggled against it like it was Amitie sleeping next to me.

 _Amitie. I hope we can be together forever._

With those 7 words flowing through my mind, I fell asleep and entered a dream world with the most wonderful person in my life.

My one true love.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **Rewrite's done. Nothing much to say except that it really needed it. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	16. Refresh of Puyo Puyo

**Chapter 16 – Refresh of Puyo Puyo**

 **Amitie's POV**

"W-Wow…Ami…I-I didn't think you guys lived in a…pretty empty house." Ally said as she took a self-tour of her new home. It was an hour after the party and now we were back home getting ready for bed.

"Y-Yeah…we kinda ditched our old stuff while moving here. Too many bad memories, you know." I said.

"Yeah, I get it. But…" Ally looked really unsure about the fact that Mom and I were sleeping on futons placed on the bare floor, the only thing we had to eat was ramen, and our only source of entertainment was whatever Mom could find on her computer.

Frankly, I would be unsure of it as well. But I've gotten used to it in the past 4 months.

"Come on, Ally." I said while holding her hands as an added bonus of my plea. "You've already made me super happy by moving here with me. Now can you continue doing that by working with us on this? We're working on getting furniture for this place. Mom got a job as a writer and is currently writing a light-novel for this town."

"Melody…is writing a book? Since when did she start writing?" Ally was clearly as shocked as I was when I found out that day.

"Apparently, since high school."

"Huh."

"Point is, we can make this work. It's just…gonna take some time. After all, I am still getting over… _ **that**_."

"Oh, right. _**That**_."

Both of us grew depressed over remembering _**that**_. Such a thing that happen not that long ago by someone I thought I could trust.

It still hurts. A lot.

"Ami. don't worry. I'm here for you. I'll help you out as much as I can. Even if I have to sleep on this hard-ass floor for a while."

"It's not that hard. It's actually pretty comfy." I noted.

"Well, you get what I mean, don't ya?"

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, I do. Thanks a bunch, Ally."

"No problem, Ami. That's what best friends are for."

The two of us hugged each other as it was something we haven't done in a while. It reminded me of all of the times we would play together as kids.

And it also reminded me of one other thing.

" _ ***giggle***_ Hey, Ally. This kinda reminds me of how you had a huge crush on me."

" **Wh-Why are you bringing that up NOW of all times?!** " Ally looked at me with a huge blush on her face.

"Well, it kinda does. What with how you would cling on to me and say " _ **Let's fall in love!**_ " every day. It was cute. Despite me not swinging that way back then. By the way, how's being gay working out for you?"

" **I-I'm not gay! Wh-What makes you think I'm gay?!** "

"Really, Ally? I just said it a few seconds ago."

" **Th-That doesn't mean anything!** "

"Kinda does…"

" **Sh-Shut up!** "

"Okay, fine. I'll stop questioning your homosexuality, Ally."

"Tch!" Ally's blushed face got even darker once I had said that. "I-Is this payback from me teasing you at the party earlier?!"

"Yep. Sure is. You're not the only one in here that can screw with people and their feelings. _***giggle***_ "

" _Wh-Why you little…_ "

" _ ***yawn***_ _Hey, you two. Go to sleep already. Don't you have school tomorrow?_ " Mom asked us. Basically half asleep.

"Okay, Mom. We're getting ready." I replied.

"Wasn't she up just an hour ago? How is she in that deep of a sleep?" Ally asked.

"This is my mom we're talking about."

" _Right…_ "

" _I can_ _ ***yawn***_ _hear you two, you know._ "

Ally and I couldn't really say anything to that. And just gained a huge sweatdrop of confusion.

"L-Let's just get to bed." I said.

"Yeah. Good idea, Ami." Ally agreed.

* * *

The next day, was a normal routine as usual. I struggled to wake Mom up. She eventually did wake up. And she worked on her story for a bit before falling back asleep.

So it was just Ally and I as we walked ourselves to school. While I was wearing a white tank top underneath a red jacket, some black capri jeans, and a pair of red & white sneakers, Ally was wearing a loose white cotton top with blue floral prints on it underneath a light-blue light jacket. Along with some black jeans and a pair of light-blue & white boots with a light blue & white bow on top of each. She also had the back of her hair tied into a ponytail.

She looked really cute, to be honest. Never seen her dress like this before. Must be a fresh start thing.

"Wow. I've never seen Melody so tired. She must be putting all of her heart on that light-novel of hers." Ally said.

"Yeah, she's dedicated alright. To the point where she's been doing all-nighters despite me telling her not to. She's overworking herself."

"Well, she is doing it for you, Ami. And I guess now me, too."

"Hey, Ally. What made you decided to move here? Wasn't life doing well for you back over in Konoko City?"

…

…

"Well…" Ally went silent for a bit. "O-Oh, hey! Ayumi wanted me to give you this! It's her birthday gift to you." She then said as she dug into her pocket and took out a tiny box.

"H-Hey! Don't dodge the question!" I yelled in anger.

"Just open it!" Ally shoved the box in front of me.

"Alright, fine." I gave up on my question (for now) and opened the box that was from our best friend Ayumi, who is still living in Konoko City.

"Whoa! Cool!" What was in there was a picture of the four of us, being myself, Ally, her twin sister Rafisol, and Ayumi. In a photo we took during our last school field trip we took as a group. At an arcade lounge that had the best food.

"Wow. I remember this place. That sure was a fun day." I said.

"Yeah. Sure was. It's the last memory I have of you being happy, Ami."

"The last one…yeah. Now I _**really**_ remember." I started getting sad again.

"Hey, don't go thinking of that again. You're here to start over, aren't you? Just forget it already."

"It's not that easy to forget, Ally. After all…last night during our bath, you saw how I still have cuts and bruises from that night. _It's a constant memory of the pain and suffering I had to go through. And it still haunts me to this day._ "

"I get that, Ami. I really do. But like we keep telling you, you're not a victim. You're a survivor."

" _A…survivor? I'm a…survivor?_ "

"Damn right, you are. There are people out there who wish they could escape their abusers. But they never do. You and Melody…you're one of the lucky ones."

" _Lucky…yeah._ Yeah, I guess we are lucky. We did manage to escape from him. And we're slowly doing better each day. I'm totally lucky!"

"There you go, girl! Just needed some self-confidence, that's all!"

"Thanks, Ally. You're a really good friend. And I'm glad you're here with me."

"No problem, Ami. I'm always here to help out my best friend."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah…"

"With an added bonus of teasing you and screwing with your emotions a little. _***giggle***_ " Ally said with a jerkish smirk on her face.

"Tch! A-Ally! You meanie!"

"Sorry, Ami. But it's so fun. Teasing you is part of my daily routine now. Thanks to Melody."

 _Damnit, Mom! Look what you've done!_

"Know your limit, Ally. I'll have Raffina punt you a few times if you go below the belt." I threaten her.

"Oh, yeah. That new girlfriend of yours. She rather cute-looking for a girl our age. Looks like you nabbed a good one."

"Yeah, she is cute. But also strong and powerful and nice and caring…and she's loaded. From what I've heard."

"Wow. Cute and rich? Sounds like the classic rich girl stereotype."

"Hey, don't stereotype my girlfriend. She's nothing like that."

"Oh, really? Then what's her breast size?"

" **H-How the hell am I supposed to know that?!** " I yelled with a faint blush.

"What, you didn't sex her up yet?"

My blushed face then got darker.

" **NO, I DIDN'T** " **SEX HER UP** " **YET! THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!** "

"Geez, Ami. I was just asking. I mean, you already know that I'm a C-cup."

"No. I didn't. And I wish I continued not knowing." I said in a pissed off tone.

" _Aw. Is someone upset about their A-cupped titties?_ "

" **I am going to kill you!** " I then yelled in rage.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop. What time does school start?"

"Uh…" I looked at my phone. "Aw, geez. Here I am yelling at you about breast sizes and we've only got 10 minutes to get there. Hurry up and run."

"H-Hey, Ami! Wait up! You're guiding me, remember?!" Ally yelled as she chased after me.

We both then ran the rest of the way to school so that we wouldn't be late for Ally's first day. I'm so excited to be in the same class as my friends and my girlfriend.

"You know. Maybe I should ask Raffina what her size is."

" _ **Ally!**_ "

 _Please to God, let me enjoy this…_

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **And so it begins. The three stories of the Love of Puyo Puyo series being merged into one big new & improved story. I'm doing this because there are some stuff I wanted to do in each story but were rejected for other ideas. Plus, I want to fill in the gaps I left in some parts. I feel like some of them are too big of a leap.  
**

 **Some other changes include:**

 **The concept of "Two Special Friends" will be implemented.**

 **Lidelle and Ally's relationship will go into more detail.**

 **The ages of some characters will be more accurate.**

 **There will ONLY be five relationships. They are Amitie X Raffina, Lidelle X Ally, Arle X Sig, Feli X Rafisol, and Klug X Ciel (the last one was rushed completely).**

 **As for Tsu and Fever…I'm leaving them up. They won't be the full complete story. But I do understand that some may prefer them being their own separate stories. Although Tsu will be edited for grammar mistakes. I'm still doing that.**

 **So whether if you prefer the old format or willing to give the new format a chance, I thank you guys for enjoying "Love of Puyo Puyo" as a whole. And I hope you enjoy it in the future. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	17. The Fashion Queen's Delicate Cups

**Chapter 17 – The Fashion Queen's Delicate Cups**

 **Raffina's POV**

" _Come on…_ "

" _Come on…_ "

" _Get it…_ "

 ***PLUCK***

" **Ow!** "

…

"Damnit! Missed again!"

"What's wrong, Raffina?" Lidelle asked as walked up to me.

"Oh morning, Lidelle. I just found this out-of-placed strain of hair and I'm trying to get it out. But this mirror…it's making it confusing."

"I see…I can probably get it out."

"Really? Thanks, Lidelle. Do you see it?"

"Yeah, I see it. hold still." I felt Lidelle grab hold of my hair and…

 ***PLUCK***

" **Ow!** "

"Got it."

I looked at my reflection to see that it was indeed gone.

"Ah. Much better. _Ohhohoho!_ " I laughed cheerfully.

"Wow, Raffina. I didn't know you grew grey hair at such a young age."

"Tch!" then froze up completely once I heard what Lidelle said.

" **Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Whaaaaaat?! Gr-Gr-Grey hair?! Wh-What are you talking about?!** "

"That "out-of-placed strain of hair" you had was a grey hair. See?" Lidelle then showed me the stain of hair still in her hand.

And I nearly died inside.

" _No…_ "

" _No…_ "

" _ **NOOOOOOOOOOO!**_ " I whined as I fell to the classroom floor in angst.

"What you getting all worked up for? It's just one grey hair." Klug said to me.

"That's the problem! It's one grey hair! I can't have one grey hair! I'm supposed to be perfectly beautiful, for crying out loud!"

"Honestly, Raffina…"

"You're overreacting." Lidelle added.

" **Overreacting?! Ha! That's rich coming from you two!** "

"Huh?"

What I mean by that is the way Lidelle and Klug dress now. Lidelle now wears a light-green tank top so thin you could easily mistake it for an undershirt. She also wore a black mini-skirt and small grey leg warmers over her now worn-out green and white sneakers.

Klug decided to start wearing a simple white dress shirt with a purple tie. With these black jeans with a lot of pockets and zippers and a pair of white sneakers. He does still wear that scholar's hat, though.

And if you're curious, I'm wearing a loose white cotton top with orange floral prints on it. She's also wearing some black skinny jeans and a pair of orange & white boots. And I also have a hairpin in the shape of an angel wing in my hair. Just to make me look cuter. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_

"What's wrong with the way we dress?" Lidelle asked.

"Well, Klug looks somewhat better now than what he used to wear."

" _Somewhat?_ " Klug took offense to that.

"Lidelle, you look **SO** out-of-place. I'm honestly starting to believe that you have the same fashion sense as Melody. As in, you don't give a damn."

"H-Hey, I do care! Maybe not as much as you, but I care. Why do you think I'm wearing this sexy outfit? _***giggle***_ "

 _It's sexy for all the wrong reasons…_

"Why such the high standard, anyway?" Klug asked.

"Because. _I_ _ **AM**_ _the Fashion Queen, after all._ _Ohhohoho!_ " I said all confident like.

"The Fashion Queen?" Both classmates looked at me like I was feeding them BS.

" _What, you don't believe me? It is true._ "

"Raffina…" Lidelle said. "Just because Amira studies fashion at the college, doesn't mean you just instantly know everything about fashion."

"Th-That's not it! All of my knowledge came from extensive magazine reading giant shopping sprees! I did **NOT** rely on Amira for this!"

" _Aw, you didn't? That sucks._ "

We then looked at the front door and saw the last person I thought would come here…

…This early, I mean.

"Amira, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"You forgot the keys to the jewelry store. So I came by to give them to you. _But…_ not before I went to Ms. Accord's office. _***giggle***_ "

 _Aw, geez._

"Why were you there? She's not even here yet?" Klug asked.

"Snooping as usual."

"I see…" Both Klug and Lidelle gain a sweatdrop.

The reason why I'm getting the keys to the jewelry store is because Amira's final exams are coming up. And she (shockingly) plans to use her free time just for studying. So I'm temporarily managing it until she finishes them all. It's a lot of work, sure.

But I get extra money by doing it. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_

"Thanks. " I said as Amira tossed the keys over to me. "By the way…you didn't steal anything from Ms. Accord's office, did you?"

"What? Me? Steal? Come on, Sis. You know me. I would never…"

"Amira, what are you doing here?" We heard a new voice.

"Ah. Hiya, Teach. Just dropping off something for Raffina. No need to worry that know-it-all suspicious brain of yours."

" _And just what is_ _ **THAT**_ _supposed to mean?_ " Ms. Accord sounded insulted.

"Oh, nothing. Welp. See ya, everyone. Say hello to your lesbo lover for me, Sis."

" **Amira!** " I shouted as Amira left the classroom with a fit of giggles.

"You know I'm pretty sure she's the one who took that book right, meow?" Popoi asked his caregiver.

"Yeah. I'm aware." Ms. Accord said with an annoyed sigh.

"What book are you two talking about, Teacher?" Lidelle asked.

"Oh, um…it's nothing important. Let's begin class now." Ms. Accord then noticed something. "Are Amitie and Ally not here yet?"

"S-Sorry, we're late!" Amitie yelled out as she and her childhood friend Ally rushed into the classroom.

"You're just in time, you two. We were just about to start."

"Thank God. We made it, Ally."

"Yeah. Just barely, too." Ally said.

"Now, then. Would our new student like to introduce herself to the class?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Right."

"Still kinda odd that we only have a few weeks of school and we're **NOW** getting a new student." Klug said.

"Don't overthink it, Klug, meow." Popoi said.

As we each took our seats, Ally went up to the front of the room to give a formal introduction of herself.

"Hello, everyone. My name's Ally Nakano. I'm 16-years-old and Ami's best friend. Nice of everyone to let me be your classmate for these last few weeks."

Everyone clapped as Ally gave out a bow.

" _Wow, she's so formal._ " I whispered to Amitie.

" _Yeah, but wait until there's no adults around. She does a complete 180._ "

" _I-I see…_ " I said with a sweatdrop.

 _Should I be worried?_

"Very good, Ally." Ms. Accord said.

Ally then went to sit at the only empty desk in the room. The one next to Lidelle. Which used to be Tarutaru's. But he moved shortly after the incident with the Red Puyo Hat. As apparently, he wasn't supposed to mention anything about owning the Blue Puyo Hat.

Still, though…that hat. It may have some dark history with it. But at the end of it all, it brought me closer with Amitie, the love of my life. So in a way, I have it to thank for my happy new life.

Even though I almost died in the process.

* * *

When lunchtime came around, Amitie and I snuck off from everyone else to spend some alone time together. As a couple would normally do. I had brought a packed lunch made by Lily.

Amitie's lunch was…

"Instant ramen again?"

"It's not my choice, Raffina. It's basically all we can afford at the moment." Amitie said as she continued eating her cup of noodles.

"Don't you get tired of that?"

"Yeah, obviously. But like I said, we don't have many options."

"I could buy you guys groceries again."

"Mom won't allow that again. She says it destroys her dignity to have a 16-year-old girl buy her food."

"I see. I kinda sympathize with her."

"She just needs to grow up." Amitie then slurped some more of her instant ramen. "Oh, yeah! I brought this with me."

She then dug into her pocket and pulled out something special to me. It's the red blobby hairpin that I made her for her birthday. Amitie then placed it in her hair. And then looked at me with a smile.

"So…how do I look?" She asked.

I smiled greatly and gave her a hug.

"You look beautiful, Amitie."

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you, Raffina."

We both then shared a quick yet passionate kiss on each other's lips as we embraced some more underneath the shady tree we claimed to be our secret special spot.

"I love you, Raffina."

"I love you too, Amitie."

"This is so damn cute."

…

…

" _ ***shriek***_ "

We both screamed in total shock as we heard a voice belonging to neither one of us. We then saw the owner of the voice standing behind the tree.

And we were quite pissed off.

" _ **Ally!**_ **What the hell?!** " Amitie yelled at her best friend.

" _ ***giggle***_ Sorry, Ami. I just wanted to see how you flirt with your girlfriend. _And it was getting pretty steamy, too._ "

" **No, it wasn't!** "

"How long were you standing there?" I asked.

"Hmm…for like about a minute or two. _Right when it was about to get steamy._ "

"It wasn't getting steamy." I retorted.

"Oh, yeah. Since Klug's not around, can I ask you something, Raffina?"

"Sure, what is it?" I then took a sip of my bottle of spring water.

I'm about to regret agreeing to this in…

3…

2…

1…

"What's your breast size?"

" _ ***spit take***_ **Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh-Wh…What the hell?! What the hell kind of question is that?!** " I shouted with a full blush on my face.

"Why can't you just drop it already?" Amitie asked with a facepalm.

"Come on, Ami. I need to know this!"

" **L-Like hell, I'm telling you!** "

" _Aw._ But we're all girls here."

" **Doesn't matter! That's not something you just ask people out of nowhere!** "

"What if I told you my size? I'm a C-cup."

" **You're not even listening!** "

"Well then, did you know that Ami's an A-cup?"

" **No, I** …" I stopped yelling instantly and turned to face Amitie with a blank stare.

" _ **St-Stop staring at me like that!**_ " Amitie yelled while blocking the view of her tiny chest.

 _Damn…_

"Welp. That's 2 out of 3, Raffina. Spit it out already!" Ally demanded.

"I'm really curious, too." Lidelle said as she appeared from behind Ally.

" **Where did you come from?!** " Amitie yelled.

I was _**really**_ hesitant to just tell people, let alone a bunch of girls (one of them being my girlfriend), my breast size like it was nothing. But since they're not going to drop it anytime soon, I might as well.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine." I said. Then took a long deep breath to calm my nerves. "I'm…I'm a D-cup."

…

…

…

 _ ***stare***_

 _ ***stare***_

 _ ***stare***_

" **Quit staring at me like that!** " I yelled at the trio of girls who were staring at me with looks of envy.

 ***INSERT SCHOOL BELL CHIME HERE***

"Oh, look. Lunch is over." Ally said. "Come on! Let's all get back to class. A-cup, A-cup, and D-cup."

" **Ally!** "

" _ ***giggle***_ Sorry, Ami." Ally then ran off towards the school while letting out a chuckle every few steps. Seemingly proud of herself for the mess she's caused.

" _ ***sigh***_ Aw, geez." Amitie said.

"Ally Nakano is one messed-up girl." I said.

"Wait, how did she know that I'm an A-cup?" Lidelle asked.

The both of us then looked at her. Not knowing how to answer such a nonsensical question.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **I'm sorry for the title. It just fits. Pun not intended.**

 **Probably do one more then start adding Tsu chapters. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	18. Lidelle's Personal Life

**Chapter 18 – Lidelle's Personal Life**

 **Amitie's POV**

"Still, though. It was a nice conversation, wasn't it?"

"No, Ally. It wasn't." I retorted to my childhood friend.

"Not even close." Raffina added.

"Eh…it was okay. I guess." Lidelle said with a simple shoulder shrug.

"See? Lidelle gets it."

"How was that conversation okay?" I asked Lidelle. "It was pure hell."

"Well, I just didn't find it as degrading as you two did. Sure, it does sting a little that Raffina has tig 'ol bitties…"

"C-Can you please not call them that?" Raffina asked with a blush on her face.

"…But honestly, I just don't care about that kind of stuff."

 _She…doesn't care?_

"W-Wow, Lidelle…" I said.

"Th-The amount of confidence you have..." Raffina said.

"That conversation was like nothing to you, huh?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. Pretty much."

" _Woah…_ " The three of us said in unison.

"What conversation were you girls having?" Klug asked as we entered the classroom.

"O-Oh, what? I-It's nothing." I stuttered.

"N-Nothing at all. It's irrelevant, anyway." Raffina added.

"We were talking about... **GAH!** "

" **Shut up, Ally!** " I shouted while twisting Ally's left ear.

" _ ***whine***_ _ **Okay, okay! I give! Uncle! Uncle! Just let me go!**_ " Ally whined while screaming in pain from her ear.

After a little longer, I decided to let go of it. And Ally had to cool down the pain by licking her fingers and rubbing her ear with the saliva.

"…Okay, then" Klug had the most confused look on his face. But he eventually got over it once class resumed for the day.

 ***LATER. AFTER SCHOOL…***

"Amitie…hey, Amitie."

"Huh? Oh sorry, Raffina. I didn't mean to ignore. I was just thinking of something."

"Thinking? Thinking of what?"

Before I answered that question, I looked behind Raffina and saw that Lidelle was already gone. Which is good because it makes this easier on my end.

"Well, you see…what Lidelle said when lunch ended really got me thinking."

"Really? Did it bother you that much?"

"Well, it didn't exactly "bother" me. It's just…Lidelle seems like a very different kind of girl to me."

"Hmm…yeah, I think I see your point. Her fashion sense is rather questionable. Not sure why she believes leg warmers and worn-out sneakers are sexy."

"That's not what I'm getting at." I said with a sweatdrop.

"Hey, Ami. Ready to go?" Ally asked as she walked up to us.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"I was with Lidelle taking out the trash. You know, for such a small girl, she has some really good strength. She tossed most of those trash bags into the dumpster like it was nothing. Really impressive."

"She did **THAT**? With such a small body?" Raffina was also shocked to hear this. "Geez. At this rate, she'll make my cardio workout look like crap." She said as she started pinching her arm for muscles.

"I'm not into cardio. But seeing Lidelle do that, along with what she said about not caring about her chest being small…it's got me thinking."

"You too?" I asked. "Wow, I never would've thought that all of us would be thinking about Lidelle's personality. Maybe she's just a special girl."

"Or…maybe. Just maybe…"

Then. With a snap of her fingers, Ally said:

" **I got it! Lidelle's a boy disguised as a girl!** "

 _The hell?! What made you come up with that?!_

"No, Ally. I highly doubt that." Raffina said with an exasperated look similar to mine.

"How do you know?"

"Klug and I have known her since kindergarten. She's definitely a girl."

"Oh. Well, that's good at least."

 _Huh? What did she mean by that?_

"Well, maybe we can ask Ms. Accord." I suggested. "She has to know something. I mean, she is a teacher."

"That's a good point, Ami."

"She should be in her office. I'll take you guys there." Raffina said.

"Thanks, Raffina." I said before giving my girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. Which made her giggle a little.

"Hey, you two. Try not to make this whole thing smexy on the way there." Ally said.

"Smexy?" We were both confused as hell.

"What are you, a child?" Raffina asked.

"What? Don't give me that. Smexy is a word. Google it."

"I'm not going to Google something so ridiculous."

"Grow up, Ally." I said with an annoyed tone.

"Fine, don't believe me. It's your loss."

The three of us made our way to Ms. Accord's office. Hoping that we can learn something about our friend Lidelle.

…

…

 _Note to self. Google "smexy"._

* * *

Raffina soon guided us to Ms. Accord's office and we knocked on the door. When we were given the okay, we went inside to see our teacher and her living cat-puppet. Klug was also there. Probably trying to get more extra credit, as usual.

"Hello, girls. What brings you three here? Didn't understand the lesson?"

"We understood it, Ms. Accord." I said. "But there is something does have us curious."

"It's about Lidelle." Raffina added.

"Lidelle? What's wrong with her?"

"She was just fine during class." Klug added.

"Nothing's wrong with her _aside from her fashion sense._ But we were kinda hoping that you knew anything about her. Like her personal life and such."

"What, and you don't, meow?" Popoi asked. "Aren't you supposed to be her friends or something, meow?"

"Well, I've only met her yesterday." Ally said.

"That's true, meow. So, what's you three's excuse, meow?"

Klug, Raffina, and I grew a sweatdrop of nervousness.

"U-Um, well…" I said.

"Sh-She was really shy…" Klug said.

"W-We kinda don't know much about her because of that." Raffina said.

"Well, what _**do**_ you know about her?" Ms. Accord asked.

" _Uh…_ " We had to think about this for a second.

"Well…she loves the color green." Raffina said.

"And she has horns hidden in her hair." Klug added.

"That's it?"

"Well, she loves video games just as much as I do." I said. "Probably more."

"That's a start. But I think you know one important fact about her. Right, Amitie and Raffina?"

"We do?" I was confused on what she meant by that. But I looked at Raffina and she had a nervous look on her face.

 _Does she know what it is?_

"Well…Lidelle did tell us that…th-that she's gay."

" **Seriously?!** " Ally and Klug yelled in total shock.

 _Oh, yeah. I remember now._

"Good job, Raffina. You've answered it correctly." Ms. Accord said.

"Please don't patronize me, Ms. Accord."

"Woah. I never would've thought that Lidelle of all people swung that way." Klug said.

"Yeah, no kidding. That's shocking as hell." Ally added.

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Come in." Ms. Accord said. Then came in the one person we weren't prepared to see at the moment.

"Teacher. I left my backpack inside the class…hey, why's everyone here?" Lidelle asked once she saw us standing around Ms. Accord's desk.

" _Uh…w-well…_ "

"They think you're a weirdo. So they came to ask us what exactly are you, meow."

" **POPOI!** " The four of us yelled at the cat puppet.

"Just meowing."

"Huh? W-Wait. Y-You guys think I'm weird?" Lidelle asked. Seemingly hurt by what she heard.

"That's not it, Lidelle. They just want to know about your personal life." Ms. Accord said.

"Huh? My personal life?"

"They seemed really interested in it."

"I see, but…why?"

"Well, it's just that your personality's really out there, Lidelle." I said.

"The way you dress and the horns hidden in your hair." Klug said.

"And the fact that you like girls. I never would've thought of you as a lesbian." Ally said.

"Y-You told them?!" Lidelle asked us two with a faint blush of embarrassment.

"S-Sorry, Lidelle." I said.

"I-It was Ms. Accord who made us say it." Raffina added.

"T-Teacher, you knew?!"

"Of course, I did. Someone did tell me one day _***giggle***_ "

Lidelle then sighed to herself. I think that she knows who it was that told Ms. Accord her secret.

"Look, Lidelle. We're sorry for being nosy like this. But to be fair, we don't even know your last name." Raffina said.

"Wait, you don't know my last name? We've been classmates since kindergarten and you don't know my last name?"

"H-Hey, give me a break. I bet you don't even know our last names."

"Raffina, your last name is Fielding. Klug's last name is Ryley. Amitie's last name is Rose. And Ally's last name is Nakano."

…

…

"Damn." Raffina was clearly impressed.

"So then, what's your last name, Lidelle?" I asked.

"My last name is Namanari."

"Namanari?"

"Why does that sound familiar?" Ally asked.

"W-Wait. Namanari? Like as in… _ **THE**_ Namanari?!" Klug asked.

"Yep. _**THE**_ Namanari."

" _No way…_ "

"Klug, what are you talking about?" I asked.

"That's the name of a really powerful ruler. The Great Demon King Namanari. Who ruled the depths of Hell with an iron fist."

" **Th…The Demon King?!** " Raffina, Ally, and I shouted in shock.

"He was well-loved by everyone there. Demons, souls, and hellspawns alike. And so were his family. Known as the Royal Family of Hell."

" _W-Woah…_ "

"Although he has since passed, the other members of the Royal Family are still recognized to this day. There's his wife, who's 100% human. His oldest son, who took over the throne. And then there's his youngest daughter. Who's next in line for the throne. And is known as…The Demonic Princess."

" _Holy crap…_ " Raffina said.

" _The Demonic Princess…_ " Ally said.

"S-So that means…" I said. Then we all turned to face Lidelle. Who had a small smile on her face.

" _ ***giggle***_ Hello, everyone. My name is Lidelle Namanari. Daughter of the late and great Demon King Namanari, the Demonic Princess, and the first ever future Queen of Hell. It's nice to officially meet you all." She re-introduced herself. With an added bow as always.

" _Wow…_ " Was basically all we can say to all of that.

"Well, then. You guys know everything about me. Can I get my backpack now?"

"Oh, yes. Of course. Follow me, Lidelle." Ms. Accord said as she stood up from her chair. Then the duo (trio, if you count Popoi) left the room to retrieve Lidelle's backpack from the locked classroom.

While the rest of us were still dumbfounded by what we just heard.

"Well, that was…interesting." Klug said.

"Lidelle's the descendant of a past demon king. You _**really**_ didn't know that?" I asked Raffina.

"I really didn't know. She must've kept it a secret for a damn long time."

"I see. Well, what do you think, Ally?"

…

"Ally…"

…

"Ally!"

"Huh? O-Oh sorry, Ami. I-I was just thinking of something."

"Of what?"

…

…

"N-Nothing. L-Let's just go home." Ally said as she sprinted out the office.

"H-Hey. _***sigh***_ Sorry, Raffina. Looks like we can't spend time together today. I'll see you tomorrow, though."

"It's okay, Amitie. Cuddling with you during lunch was good enough. Mainly because I was near your cute face." Raffina then gave me a kiss on my lips and cuddled me some more.

" _ ***giggle***_ Raffina…"

"This is way too much affection."

"Shut it." We both retorted at Klug.

I soon let go of Raffina and chased after Ally. Who was actually really far off despite leaving just a few seconds earlier.

"Ally, wait!" I yelled as I finally caught with her. "Geez, what's with you?"

"I already said it's nothing. Can we just drop it already?"

"Well, look who's being secretive now. Kinda being a hypocrite for all the times you've made me spill out all of my secrets."

"Look, I'm sorry. But I really don't to talk about it now. So just drop it already."

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. I get it. Just don't have Mom noticed your current mood. She'll tear you up like a diary."

"You mean how like she read your diary that one time?"

…

…

"Ami?"

"Let's go." I said as I yanked Ally's arm and started sprinting home in a fit of rage.

 _Mom! You better pray to the Great Demon King that I don't freaking murder you!_

I still love her, though.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **If Lidelle's last name and the concept as a whole sounds familiar, it's actually from Dream Land Invasion. I liked it better as it was way more detailed than what I wrote in Tsu. So I brought it over here.**

 **This chapter marks the official end of the original Love of Puyo Puyo. So the next chapter is when Love of Puyo Puyo Tsu begins. Just to be clear, the original Tsu and the Tsu here will be mostly different from each other. Feel free to compare the two if you like.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	19. Big Magic School Kids

**Chapter 19 – Big Magic School Kids**

 **Amitie's POV**

 ***TWO WEEKS LATER…***

"Come on, Mom! Of all days, you can't sleep in again!"

" _Just give me five more minutes, Ami._ "

"You said that five minutes ago!"

" _I did? Okay…how about four more minutes?_ "

" _Grr…_ "

I grabbed my pillow from my futon and repeatedly hit Mom in the head with it.

"Ow! **OW!** Okay, okay! I'm up!" Mom shouted as she grabbed my pillow and threw it across the room.

"Geez, Mom. You said you'd start waking up on time from now on."

"I said I would _**try**_. I didn't say I'd be successful at it."

"* _ **sigh**_ ***** Honestly." I said with a facepalm.

"Why so frantic this morning, anyway?" Mom asked.

"Don't you know what day it is?"

"May 31st. Why?"

"Mom. I'm graduating from Primp Magic School today. We're all going to be throwing a party to celebrate the five of us going to high school. _Remember_?"

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah! Now I remember! Congratulations, Ami!"

"Thanks. Now can you get ready, please? We're supposed to pick up Raffina and Lidelle on the way there."

"Alright, Alright." Mom said as she got up from her futon. Around the same time, Ally came out of the bathroom after taking a really long shower.

"Ah, so refreshing." She said while drying her hair.

"You were in the shower the whole time?! What were you doing?!" I asked.

"Um…nothing important." Ally said while looking away from me.

"Really? Nothing? It's couldn't have been since you were in there for nearly an hour. What was it?"

"Wh-Why do you want to know? I-Isn't that invasion of privacy?"

"And again, you're being a hypocrite." I said with an annoyed tone.

" _Ugh!_ Fine!" Ally took the towel from her hair and placed it over her face. My guess is it's to hide the blushing she currently doing.

"I-I was doing…s-something that helps us girls feel good." She said.

I didn't know what she was talking about at first. But after giving it some thought, I figured it out.

And was extremely embarrassed for doing so.

" _ **EEEEEEEW!**_ **Gross, Ally! Why would you do** **THAT** **in the shower?!** " I yelled with a mild blush of my own.

" **W-Well, where else could I do it?! We don't have rooms!** "

" **DON'T ASK ME!** "

"Why are so embarrassed, Ami? It's completely normal for girls your age to do that." Mom said.

" **DON'T SIDE WITH HER!** "

"Sheesh. I'm just saying."

" ***** _ **sigh**_ ***** Geez. Can we go now?" I asked. "I'm already exhausted for the day and we haven't even left the house yet."

"Yeah, yeah. Just let me freshen up a bit." Mom said.

Then as she stood up from her futon and headed for the bathroom, she said one last thing.

"I'm pretty sure you've already freshened up. Huh, Ally?"

" **MOM!** "

" **MELODY!** "

" **Baaahahahaha!** " Mom finally went inside the bathroom. Leaving the two of us standing in the middle of the living room with extremely red faces looking like idiots.

"This is what happens when you become nosy." Ally said to me.

"Shut up, Ally."

* * *

A few minutes later, Mom was finished getting ready. And by "finished" I really mean that all she did was change her shirt from a pink t-shirt to a pink& white t-shirt.

Yeah, Mom's really lazy when it comes to fashion. One trait I'm glad I didn't get from her.

We then left the house and Mom drove to the meeting spot where we were supposed to pick up Raffina and Lidelle. When we got there, I couldn't hold my excitement anymore.

" **RAFFINA!** "

" **AMITIE!** "

I jumped out the car and hugged Raffina as tight as I can possibly can. I felt Raffina do the same. After a few seconds of cuddling each other, we both looked at each other's eyes. Inching our faces together as we prepared our lips to meet once more. As our lips were about to make contact, though…

"Hey. Earth to Amitie and Raffina. Can we go now? We're going to be late for school." Lidelle complained while trying to get our attention.

"Cool it, Demonic Princess. This is a special moment for us." Raffina said.

"You were only apart from each other for two weeks."

"It's two weeks too long, Lidelle."

"You'll know when you'll get a girlfriend of your own." I added with a smirk.

"Good grief." Lidelle said with a facepalm.

"Aw, come on, Lidelle! I wanted to see them make out!" Ally complained.

" **We don't make out!** " Raffina and I shouted.

"Why would you want to see that?" Lidelle asked.

"For good practice, duh. I might have to do it sometime and I want to learn from professionals."

" _Why do I feel like Ally calling us "professionals" at kissing is an insult?_ " Raffina whispered to me.

" _It probably is._ " I whispered back.

"So, can we go now?" Lidelle asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Hop in, your majesty." Mom said, pointing her thumb inwards signaling us to get in the car.

I made Ally sit in the front seat and Raffina, Lidelle and I sat in the back. Literally, the only reason the change of seating happened is because I wanted to snuggle with Raffina more.

We haven't seen each other for two weeks because Raffina's been taking over Amira's job at the jewelry store. Due to Amira constantly studying for her final exams at the college.

It was really difficult having to go to school without her. I mean yeah, Lidelle, Klug, and Ally were there. But not being with your girlfriend for that long _**really**_ takes a toll on you.

I'm a teenage girl, you know. I've got needs. _**Special**_ needs.

…

…

I'm not explaining what that means.

"Hey. Is Amira going to be done with her finals today?" I asked Raffina while still snuggling up against her.

"She should be." Raffina answered. Still doing the same to me. "I know how you feel, Amitie. I've missed you a lot too."

I looked up at Raffina and gave her the sweet, passionate kiss on the lips that Lidelle interrupted earlier. I felt her lips return the force I was giving, and it ended up feeling like we were fighting for dominance or something like that.

"Aw, geez. There they go again." Lidelle said trying not to stare.

"They're totally making out." Ally said doing the exact opposite.

We broke our lips apart to see that everyone else was staring at us. Which left a bit of embarrassment on our faces.

"What?" We both asked.

"Nothing." Mom, Ally, and Lidelle said nonchalantly as they looked away from us.

"At least I'm getting some good notes from watching you two." Ally said.

"That's a very creepy thing to say, Ally." Raffina said.

"And perverted." Lidelle added.

"Trust me, guys. I've known Ally for years." I said. "She says that kind of stuff without thinking and people often question her on if she's gay or not. Most people do believe she is, though."

" _But I'm not gay._ " Ally said with a pissed-off tone.

"You know. The more you deny it, the more people are going to believe the opposite."

" _ **But I'm not gay!**_ "

"Oh, really? Then why do you often say perverted sayings and jokes?"

I then saw Ally gain an evil smirk on her face. Which, going from past experiences, is not a good thing.

"Easy. It's to get those priceless reactions out of you."

"Wh-What?"

"Hey, that reminds me of the time Ami first heard one of Ally's perverted jokes." Mom joined the conversation. "Her reaction was hilarious! I think I have a picture saved on my phone!"

" **Mom!** " I yelled.

" _Oh, yeah. I remember that. It_ _ **was**_ _hilarious, wasn't it? Do you think you send me that pic, Melody?_ " Ally said.

" _ **Ally!**_ "

"Sure thing! I'll send it to you when we get to the school."

"That's great. _***giggle***_ "

I slammed my head on the back of the front seat. Wanting this nightmare-ish car ride to end already.

"Damn, Amitie." Raffina said.

"You used to only have Melody tease you all the time. But now it's her _**AND**_ Ally." Lidelle added.

"It's okay, guys. I got used to it before. So I'll get used to it again…hopefully." I said.

 _I'm going to lose my damn mind, aren't I?_

* * *

After the car trip from hell, we finally made it to the magic school. The four of us got out the car and stood outside the entrance gate.

"I'll be back in about an hour or so. I have to meet up with my publisher real quick." Mom said.

"Okay, Mom." I waved over to her as she drove off.

Us four girls entered the school and headed for the classroom. There we saw Klug, who was early, as usual, sitting on his desk reading a book.

"Morning, Klug." I said cheerfully.

"Ah, salutations everyone. Nice day, is it not?" Klug greeted us as he would normally do.

"Hey, Klug! Take a look at this!" Ally said while giving Klug her phone.

" _Ally, I swear to God…_ " I said in a pissed-off tone.

"Shut it, Ami. This is payback for this morning."

Klug scrolled through Ally's phone while she was telling him where to go. I already knew what Ally was trying to show him, and it made me both mad and scared at the same time.

"Uh…Ally. What the hell am I looking at?" Klug asked while staring at the picture of me with a confused look on his face.

"Ami's reaction when I told her a perverted joke."

"Perverted joke?"

"Well, it wasn't completely perverted. Ami just has a too pure mindset. Which is why, along with her tiny breasts, is why people often mistake her for a child."

" _Damn you, Ally!_ " I yelled while trying to stop myself from assaulting this childhood friend of mine.

"I-I see…" Klug said with a sweatdrop. Not knowing what else to say to such a thing.

"Good morning, kiddies!"

"Please take your seats, meow."

It was during that time Ms. Accord, along with Popoi, walked in the classroom. We each sat at our desk and class began.

"Well, as you all know, this is the last day of school. After today, I won't be your teacher anymore." Ms. Accord said while trying to hold back her tears.

"It's okay. Popoi's here for you." Popoi tried to comfort her.

"I still don't understand why you can't just come to the high school with us, Teacher." Lidelle said.

"I wish it was that easy, Lidelle. But the principle here is rather…let's just say stubborn. He and I don't exactly get along.

"Y'know, I've never even met this principle guy the whole time I've been here." I said.

"None of us have." Raffina said. "That stuck-up old man never leaves his office from the start of the day until the end of it."

"Not once has he ever greeted his students that come to this school." Klug added.

"Wow, seriously? How is this guy principle?" Ally asked.

"No one really knows, meow." Popoi answered.

"Well, let's forget about that and spend our last day together as a class, shall we?" Ms. Accord suggested.

"Yes, Ms. Accord." We all agreed and our final class with Ms. Accord began.

* * *

About an hour into the lesson, there was a disturbance coming in to join us.

"Hey, everybody! It's a me! Melody!"

" _No, you did not just say that._ " Lidelle said with a facepalm.

"Mom, what are you doing here? School isn't over yet." I asked as Mom slid the door open as hard as she could while greeting everyone.

"Well, after I visited my publisher, I got bored. So I came here." She explained.

"Huh. That's odd. Back then when you were bored, you would try to _**leave**_ school instead of coming to it." Ms. Accord said.

"That was different, Accord. Nowadays, I'm full-grown, mature, and a damn sexy adult." Mom said that while pounding her chest like she was proud of herself for saying that.

"Full-grown, yes. Mature…far from it."

"And you're definitely not sexy, meow." Popoi added.

" **Wh-What do you know?! You're just a cat puppet!** " Mom sounded while being slightly insulted.

I giggled at what the two said about Mom. Mainly because it's 100% true.

"Hey, Ms. Accord. Didn't you say earlier that you and Melody were classmates in high school?" Raffina asked.

"Oh. I'm surprised you kiddies still remember that. Yes, we were. Why, what about it?" Ms. Accord asked.

"I was just wondering why Melody still calls you by your last name."

"Oh, that. That's because she forced me to keep calling her that. Even though it's completely unnecessary." Mom answered.

"So, you know her first name then?" Lidelle asked.

"Accord's first name? Of course, I do! It's Har…"

"Okay kiddies, next lesson!" Ms. Accord yelled while shoving her wand in Mom's mouth.

" _Aw_ , _what? Come on! I wanna know!_ " Ally whined.

"I admit, I'm intrigued as well." Klug added.

We all looked at Ms. Accord, who then looked at Popoi with an unsure look on her face.

"Just do it, meow. It would be a good send-off present for them." He said.

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ Alright, I'll tell you." Ms. Accord said while taking her wand out of Mom's mouth.

We were all excited to hear this. Normally, Ms. Accord would never tell us anything that had to do with herself or what we were going to do in class. So this was a rare moment for us.

"My full name is…H-Harmony Accord." She said.

" **WOAH!** " Needless to say, we were all shocked.

"Good for you, Harmony! You've finally revealed your true identity!" Mom said with a thumbs up.

"Don't push it, Melody." Clearly, Ms. Accord was still embarrassed about telling her students something personal about her.

"Wait. Harmony and Melody…I think I'm starting to get why you kept it a secret." I said, putting two and two together.

"Yes. I was afraid that our other classmates would think that we're sisters. So I went by Accord the whole time."

"Still don't see how being my sister would've been a bad thing." Mom said.

"Melody, no offense. But at the time, **EVERYTHING** about being your sister would've been a bad thing."

"Wow. So cold."

"I said no offense."

"Yeah, but still…"

I again giggled at what was said about Mom. Mainly because it was again 100% true.

"Well, anyway. That's enough about my backstory."

"What? Aw, come on, Ms. Accord. We wanna hear more." I said.

"That won't happen, Amitie."

" _ ***whine***_ "

"And besides. High school was such a long time ago. I don't remember much from those days."

" **Then allow me to enlighten you all!** " We then received another disturbance. This time, in the form of Amira. With a blue book in her hands.

"Amira, what are you doing here?" Raffina asked her older sister.

" _ ***chuckle***_ Ladies and Klug. I present to you…" Amira then slammed the book she had onto a nearby empty desk with all the cocky confidence in the world. Making the title visible for all of us.

What it said was…rather shocking.

" **MS. ACCORD'S HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOK!** "

" **Oh! My. GOD!** " Raffina, Lidelle, Ally, and I fangirled like no one has ever fangirled before.

"You still have this, Harmony?!" Mom asked.

"N-Never mind that! Amira, I forbid you to open that book!" Ms. Accord yelled.

"Can't do that, Teach. I'm not a student." Amira said.

"Tch!"

"She's got a point, meow." Popoi said.

We all gathered around as Amira opened the book to a specific page she had in mind.

"When I saw this when snooping around Teach's office, I knew I had to steal it!" Amira cheered.

"Uh…you know that you just admitted to a theft crime, right?" Klug asked.

"Shh. Let's just enjoy the moment." Raffina said to him.

" **HERE!** " Amira shouted as she pointed to a picture of a girl with long and curly light purple hair. With small black text written next to it.

It took us a short while to fully recognize the girl. But when we did…saying that we lost our minds would be an understatement.

The black text read:

 _Harmony Accord_

 _Age 18_

 _3_ _rd_ _Year Student_

"No…freaking…way…" Raffina and Klug said in disbelief.

" **IT'S A YOUNGER MS. ACCORD!** " Lidelle, Ally, and I shouted with so much excitement.

" _ ***sigh***_ _Here we go…_ " Ms. Accord said to herself in a sad mood.

"Ms. Accord, you look so cute in this photo!" Raffina said.

"Like an innocent quiet girl about to be sent off to the unknown world around her." Ally said.

"Wow, you even had Popoi back then?" Klug asked.

"Yes. But people didn't know he was alive. Aside from a few people."

"Me, being one of them." Mom added.

"Huh?" I was confused.

"It's actually how we met. We were in the same class together and I tried talking to her. But Popoi wouldn't shut up. Wasn't that hard for me to figure out that it wasn't ventriloquism."

"Did anyone else know?"

"Nope. The rest of the class were too oblivious to the whole thing."

"I see…"

"Oh, yeah! That's right!" Amira yelled out as she started flipping through the book again. "While looking for Teach's picture I found this one, too!"

She then stopped and pointed to a picture of a girl with long blonde hair and emerald green eyes. With black text next to it.

This picture had _**really**_ caught my interest. Mainly because this time the black text read:

 _Melody Rose_

 _Age 18_

 _3_ _rd_ _Year Student_

" **Woah! Check it out, Ami! It's a younger Melody!** " Ally yelled.

" _Neat-o._ " I said.

"Wow. Aside from the long hair, you two look almost identical." Lidelle said.

"Damn. I can't believe I'm actually saying this…but you look really cute in this picture, Melody." Raffina said.

" _Why thank you, Raffi…_ **Hey, wait! What do you mean** " _ **you can't believe you're saying this**_ " **?!** " Mom felt insulted.

"Calm down, meow." Popoi said.

"Okay, Amira. Fun's over. Hand over the book." Ms. Accord said.

"What?! No freaking way, Teach! This thing's a gold mine!" Amira then flipped through the pages some more. "Now that my classes are done for the semester, I have all the time in the world to read this masterpiece! _**Baahahahaha!**_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ _This girl…just as big of a pain now as she was when she was a student here._ "

"Some things never change, meow." Popoi added.

As Amira continued to go through the book, she stopped at something and her eyes grew so big it looked like she was high on something.

" **OH MY GOD! SIS! SIS! LOOK!** " She shouted as she shoved the book in Raffina's face.

"Ow! Damnit, Amira! What are you yelling at?!" Raffina then took a look at what her older sister was reacting at.

" **OH MY GOD!** "

And had the exact same reaction.

 _Sisterly bond, I guess._

The Fielding Sisters eventually showed the rest of us what they were so excited about. A picture of a young girl with long brown hair and brown eyes. This time the black text said:

 _Lily Nakamura_

 _Age 17_

 _2_ _nd_ _Year Student_

"Lily?" Mom asked. "Geez, it's been a long time since I last saw her. I think the last time was when we graduated, right Harmony?"

"Well technically, that was the last time _**you've**_ seen her. I still see her from time to time."

"Huh?"

"Lily's our family maid here. She takes care of us due to our parents traveling a lot." Raffina explained.

"Lily? A maid? Wow. I didn't think she would do such a thing. Considering how much she hated doing it during the Cultural Festivals we had."

"Yes. It was a shock too when I first ran into her." Ms. Accord added.

"So, she really does live here?"

"Sure does." Amira said. "She's helping out Lemres set up the party."

"Hey, wait. Now that I think about it…aren't you supposed to be helping them, Amira?" Raffina asked.

…

…

" _Oh, yeah._ Guess I forgot. Welp. See ya guys. Thanks for the book, Teach."

"H-Hey, wait! Amira!" Ms. Accord yelled out as Amira ran out the classroom once again with the book she stole from her office.

" _ ***sigh***_ _That girl…_ "

"Don't worry, Ms. Accord. Lily and I share your pain." Raffina said.

"Anyway…" Ms. Accord then faced Mom. "I assume you're going to stay here, right? We still got another 2 hours before school lets out. So, just go sit at the window over there and don't do anything distracting."

"Sure thing… _Harmony._ " Mom replied.

"You're enjoying this way too much."

"Just like old times, huh?"

…

"Yeah, I guess. _***giggle***_ " Ms. Accord said with a smile.

I want to say that I feel sorry for Ms. Accord for having to deal with a younger version of Mom for 3 years. But honestly…I think she enjoyed it more than she hated it.

Much like me when I'm at home.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_ **This chapter starts off Love of Puyo Puyo Tsu. Currently, the most popular in the series. This section of the story is the one that needs the most work on. So, I'll probably do like one or two at a time and upload them at the same time.**

 **Also, the chapter name is a reference to one of the old Madou Monogatari games called "Madou Monogatari: Big Kindergarten Kids". So far, it's this game and I think Madou Monogatari 1 that are the only ones translated. They're... _very interesting_. To say the least. **

**Thanks for reading. Later.**


	20. Secret-Severed Ice Cream

**Chapter 20 – Secret-Severed Ice Cream**

 **Raffina's POV**

After school later in the day was definitely one of the hardest moments of my life. As the others and I had to say goodbye to Ms. Accord for the final time. There were some tears, mainly from Amitie and Lidelle, but it was definitely understandable. I almost cried myself. Ms. Accord has been my teacher since I was 5 years old. Back then, it was just me, Lidelle, Klug, and Tarutaru. So it was easy to bond with her.

Or…at least tried to. With how I acted before meeting Amitie.

But now that we're leaving her behind while we go on to high school, it's going be a little hard to cope with that feeling of emptiness for 3 years.

After we said our goodbyes, Klug went off on his own. He said that he's not really a fan of ice cream. Or anything sweet, for that matter. Which was honestly odd in my eyes.

Anyway. In the meantime, it was just the four of us getting a ride from Melody while heading for Lemres' shop for the party. On the way there, we started reflecting on times spent with Ms. Accord as our teacher.

"Y'know, even though I've spent the least time with Ms. Accord being my teacher, I'm going to miss her." Ally said.

"Yeah, me too." Amitie agreed. "We did so much fun stuff together as a class. Although, that flying cane stunt was kinda pointless."

"Yeah, true." I said. "Having to go all around town looking for it, only to find out it was just another one of her surprise tests was a huge letdown. Although, I feel like we've done it before. Like, more than once."

"Really? I don't remember that."

"Me neither." Ally added.

"It was back when it was just Lidelle, Klug, Tarutaru, and I."

"Huh. I can't remember that, either." Lidelle said.

" _Weird…_ " The four of us said.

…

…

"She probably just used a memory eraser on you guys." Melody said.

" **WHAT?! A MEMORY ERASER?!** "

" **Mom, don't make such scary jokes like that!** " Amitie yelled.

"Fine, fine. But, I do gotta admit. Hearing that you guys went on a wild goose chase for a cane made me think of Harm and I went we were in high school."

"Really, how?"

"Well, she may not look like now. But when we were in high school, Harm had a huge imagination. She would read so many books that she would sometimes imitate the adventures in said books."

"Ms. Accord?! _Adventurous?!_ " The four of us said in shock.

"Yep. And it was fun to watch too. I would go with her just to film her doing such things, much to Popoi's disapproval."

"So, what was Popoi like back then?" Lidelle asked.

"No different from how he is today."

"I see. So, a total smart alec." Lidelle said with a sweatdrop.

"So, no one else knew about Popoi?" I asked.

"No, not really. Just me, Lily, and two other girls we knew. One of them graduated with Harm and I."

"What happened to her?" Ally asked.

"After that day, she ran off to follow this random guy she fell in love with. Haven't seen or heard from her since."

"Wow. Talk about determination." Amitie said.

"Not the word I would use in this case, Ami." Mom said with a sweatdrop.

"Huh?" We were all confused by what she meant by that. But since we're hearing about it from Mom, we decided not to ask any further.

* * *

After a few more minutes of driving, we've reached the sweets shop and Amitie, Lidelle, and Ally ran inside like they were little children.

" **SWEETS!** " They all shouted.

"H-Hey! Don't run inside!" I yelled as I started walking in after them.

Well, I was going to. But then Melody grabbed my arm and held it with a good grip.

"H-Hey, Raffina. Can I talk to you for a sec?" She asked while looking nervous. Which wasn't like her at all.

"Uh…sure, Melody. Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing wrong. It's just…there's something about Harmony and I that I purposely left out."

" _Purposely?_ What do you mean?"

Melody looked very uncomfortable trying to get what she wanted to say out of her mouth. It got me really worried about what she was about to say.

"I-It was…during the aftermath of the assaults."

Now I was really scared of what was next. I remember the day Amitie told me how she and Melody were viciously assaulted by her father. She had so much fear in her eyes that it made me want to cry.

I may not know the guy, but I could never forgive the bastard for what he did! To his own _**daughter**_ no less! From what I've heard, he was sentenced to 99 years. Which is basically I life sentence. I hope his death is slow and painful!

"Melody. You don't have to do this…" I said, trying to comfort her.

"It's okay, I'm fine." Melody said. She took a deep breath and continued.

"After we left the hospital, Ami refused to go home. I understood why she felt that. Mainly because I had the exact same feeling. So, we went to say at a motel.

We were there for a month. And during that month, Ami went through a severe depression. She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't leave the motel room, she would just spend days in bed crying her eyes out to the point of them swelling up. It was a horrible sight.

And I still feel like she still has it inside her. But is just hiding it really good to keep you guys happy."

"Yeah. I can understand how you feel." I agreed.

Melody shed a few tears before continuing.

"Eventually, I convinced her to go to a therapist to talk it out. And the therapist said that the city we used to live in was nothing but a field of nightmares for her. I felt so horrible. I felt like I failed as a mother by keeping my only child safe. I knew I had to fix everything, but I didn't know what to do.

So one night, when I was sure Ami was asleep, I called Harmony. And told her everything that happened."

"So…that means…"

"Yeah. The job, the house, Ami's enrollment in the magic school. Harmony did all of that for me. And although I've been truly grateful for what she did, I haven't told Ami."

I was shocked after hearing all of Melody's confession. To think that she sacrificed so much just to make Amitie happy again. She really is a caring mother, but just has an odd way of showing it.

"W-Wow. Melody I had no idea…"

"Yeah. Which is why I'm telling you, Raffina. Please, whatever you do, don't tell Ami! If and when the time comes, I want to do it myself."

I didn't know what to do. I want help Melody out. But at the same time, I don't want to keep any secrets from my girlfriend.

But in the end, I had to make a decision.

"Okay, Melody…I won't tell her." I said.

" **OH, THANK YOU, RAFFINA! YOU'RE A LIFESAVER!** " Melody shouted while hugging me real tight.

"But you better keep your promise. I don't like keeping secrets from people."

That statement is somewhat true.

"Uh…sure. I-I'll try." Melody looked unsure when she said that, but at least she'll try to.

* * *

After the unexpected but very knowledgeable talk, we went inside the parlor to meet up with everyone else. Lidelle and Ally were already eating ice cream that they picked out with Lemres. While Amitie was waiting near the counter.

"Hey, you two! Where did you go?" She asked as she walked up to us.

"I just had to ask Raffina something. Nothing to worry about, Ami." Melody said.

"Mom. When you say that, all I ever do is worry."

"Hey!"

"She's right, Amitie. There is absolutely nothing to worry about." I said.

"Well…okay. If you're saying the same thing, then it must be true." Amitie said as she hugged me.

"Oh, good grief." Melody facepalmed. Sounding insulted that her daughter had to get confirmation from someone else to prove she was right.

" _Hey, Melody._ Look who it is!" Amira called out.

"H-Hey! M-Miss Amira, cut it out!" Lily said as she was being pushed by Amira towards Melody.

"No… **WAY!** **Lily?! Is that you?!** " Melody shouted.

" **M-Melody-senpai! I-It really is you!** "

"Melody… _senpai?_ " Amira, Amitie, and I asked in total confusion. When Lily realized what she just said, she started blushing like crazy.

" _ **D-Damnit! Here I am! a grown woman! And yet, I'm still calling you that!**_ "

" _Aw_ _!_ I forgot how _**cute**_ you look when you're embarrassed, Lily." Melody said.

" **K-Knock it off, Melody-senpai! GAH! I did it again!** "

"So, you two really do know each other?" I asked.

" _ ***whine***_ Oh, what's the point anymore?" Lily finally gave it. "Yes. It's true, Miss Raffina. Melody-senpai and I do know each other."

"What's with the "senpai" thing?" Amitie asked.

"Lily here is a year younger than me. Hence the cute nickname." Melody said.

" _I-It's not a cute nickname! It's an honorific!_ " Lily shyly yelled.

"Yeah…but you sound _**so**_ cute when you say it!"

" _ ***whine***_ Melody-senpai! Please stop already!"

"Alright, alright." Melody said while waving her hand. "But all teasing aside, I really did miss you, Lily."

"Y-You did?"

"Of course, I did! When Harmony told me that you live here, I was so excited to see you again! You're one of my greatest friends, Lily!"

"Really?"

"Positive!"

…

…

"Th…That really means a lot, Melody-senpai." Lily said with a teary-eyed smile.

 _Lily's really enjoying this…_

"So, this is your friend from high school, Mom?" Amitie asked.

"Oh, yeah." Melody said as she stood next to Amitie. "Lily, this is my daughter. Amitie."

"Nice to meet you, Lily." Amitie said.

"You seriously have a daughter? That's pretty shocking to hear, Melody-senpai." Lily said.

" **Wait, what do you mean shocking?!** "

"Well, I mean…you are you, Melody-senpai."

" **Well, I got laid, didn't I?!** "

" _Did your mom seriously just say that she got laid?_ " I whispered to Amitie.

" _Yeah. She did._ " Amitie replied with a huge facepalm.

"And besides. I bet you're still a vir…"

" _Melody-senpai. Finish that sentence, and you'll be underneath this very building._ " Lily said in a violent tone.

"N-Noted."

" _Hey, Sis! Lily's totally still a virgin!_ "

" _Shut up, Amira._ " I whispered to her.

"Anyway, I'm hungry. Hey, Lemres. Can I get some more ice cream?"

"Sure thing, Amira. Eat as much as you want." Lemres said from behind the counter.

" **Awesome!** "

"M-Mister Lemres. You really shouldn't say stuff like that to Miss Amira." Lily said as she walked over to an excited Amira. And with Melody with her, it was just me and Amitie.

 _ ***sigh***_ _Just the two of us once again.  
_

"So, what happened? How come you're not eating anything?" I asked her.

"W-Well…" Amitie started blushing a little. I haven't seen her do that since before we started dating. Almost forgot how cute it was. "I-I…I wanted to pick out something with you. I-Is that a bad thing?"

Now I was the one blushing.

"N-No, of course not! In fact, I find it sweet that you did that. Thanks, Amitie." I said. I then gave Amitie a quick kiss on her lips. Which made her giggle a bit.

"Hey, you lesbos! Do you want some ice cream or not?!" Amira asked from across the shop.

" **Seriously! Why do you keep saying that word?!** " I asked, clearly angry that she keeps calling us that.

"I just like to see you react to it." Amira admitted.

"Alright! My girl!" Melody said as she gave Amira a high five.

"Melody and Amira seem to be getting along." Lemres said. Witnessing the whole thing.

"Trust me, Lemres. That's a bad thing." I said.

" _Hey!_ " Both Melody and Amira shouted.

"Come on, Raffina! Let's go get some ice cream!" Amitie said, pulling my arm in the process.

"Alright, alright." I said as I was dragged to the front counter where Lemres was at.

After we picked out and ate our ice cream, our small little group got together and talked about what was next for us to do. Specifically, the summer break. What could happen during these three months is a complete and utter mystery. As we have no idea what's to come.

But with Amitie by my side, I honestly couldn't care less.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Learning the truth of how Melody got this new life for her and Amitie really took Raffina by surprise. But it doesn't really matter as long as Amitie's happy…ish.**

 **And now, their summer vacation begins. And so does the insanity. You'll see what I mean next chapter. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	21. Precise Museum (& Library)

**Chapter 21 – Precise Museum ( & Library)**

 **Amitie's POV**

" **GAH!** **Ami why is this game so hard?!** " Ally asked in a fit of rage.

"It's not hard. You just suck at it."

" **Hmph**. Says you!"

It was the day after the celebration party. Raffina and Lidelle stayed the night over because it was super late by the time the party ended last night. And right now, Ally and I were playing a video game on the Super Famicom, Lidelle was making breakfast, Mom was still asleep, and Raffina was sitting next to me watching us play.

And based on the confused look on her face, I can tell that she isn't a gamer.

"Uh…Amitie. What game is this?" She asked.

"Only one of the best games ever made: ChuChu Rocket!" I answered with glee.

"What?" I think the name alone made Raffina even more confused.

"Seriously? You've never heard of ChuChu Rocket? It's a puzzle game."

"That cheats." Ally added.

"Again, Ally. You just suck at it."

"Whatever." She pouted.

"ChuChu Rocket? Isn't that a Dreamcast game?" Lidelle asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah, it is." I said. "But Lemres made some kinks to the Super Famicom and now we have games from other consoles on here. Super Famicom, Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast, N64, GameCube, Wii. We even got a few arcade games on here. All for free, too!"

"Uh, guys. That's extremely illegal."

"Oh, come on. Those big companies aren't gonna notice."

"Yeah, but…"

"Hey, look. Mario Kart Arcade GP DX is finished downloading." Ally said while looking at the TV.

" **Mario Kart Arcade GP DX?! Hell yeah! I call first play!** " Lidelle grew extremely excited.

 _Looks like someone doesn't care about what's legal anymore._

"Anyway." I turned my attention back to Raffina. "It's a puzzle game where you have to guide these space mice called ChuChus to their rocket by changing the direction of the arrows."

"I see." Raffina said.

"All while avoiding the KapuKapu."

"The what?"

"They're space cats that try to eat them."

"Amitie…this is a weird game."

"Ha! If you think _**my**_ game is weird, then you haven't seen Ally's favorite game!"

"What game is that?"

"Space Harrier." Ally answered. "It's a game where you fly around in a jetpack and shoot enemies and objects while avoiding enemy fire and other hazards."

…

…

…

Raffina looked more confused now than when I explained ChuChu Rocket to her.

"You don't play video games, do you?" Ally asked her.

"No. Not really."

"Figures as much."

"Hey, guys. Breakfast is ready." Lidelle called out to us from the kitchen.

"Yay, food!" Ally cheered.

"Mom. Mom, wake up. Time to eat." I said while shaking her body.

" _H-Huh? O-Oh._ Thanks for _***yawn***_ waking me up, Ami."

"Why was it easy for me to wake you up this time but the others took 15 minutes?"

"Because food."

…

"You know. Coming from you, that makes sense." I said with an exasperated look.

Lidelle soon joined us while carrying a tray filled with plates, cups, and a TON of food. Waffles and pancakes, bacon, eggs, tons and tons of biscuits. It was like I was in an IHOP or something.

"Woah! Look at all this food! It looks _**SOOO**_ good!" I said.

"Yeah, even I gotta admit. This looks amazing." Mom said.

"Wow! I didn't know you can cook, Lidelle!" Ally said as she was fixing her plate.

"Yeah, well it's one of the requirements of being a shrine maiden, so I had to learn at a young age." Lidelle said.

"Wait, Lidelle… **YOU'RE A SHRINE MAIDEN?!** "

"Ally…don't talk with your mouth full." I said, wiping the food particles off the table.

"Well, kinda. There's this shrine at the edge of town that's specifically for demons, devils, and other creatures of Hell. And since I'm the Demonic Princess, I've gotta look after it. It's a lot of work. Especially in December." Lidelle then shoved three whole pancakes, two pieces of bacon, and a spoonful of scrambled eggs in her mouth.

 _Geez. Slow down, girl._

"Right. Because of Christmas and New Year's, right?" Raffina asked.

Lidelle did a slight nod, confirming that Raffina was right.

"Man. Despite being a 15-year-old, you sure have it tough, Lidelle." Mom said. "Wish I can work that hard."

"You can, Mom. You just sometimes refuse to do so."

"Hey! Being an adult is hard!"

"I'll give you that. But you don't even try sometimes."

"Hmph. Well, _**excuuuse**_ me." Mom pouted like a child.

 _So not proving her point._

"Didn't you just finish writing a light novel, Melody?" Lidelle asked.

"Yeah. Oh, that reminds me. I've got to meet up with the publisher today."

"Really, again? That's the third time this week." I said.

"It's not just writing the book, Ami. There's revising and editing, the cover design, illustrations, final thoughts. It's a lot of work."

"I see. Who is this publisher guy, anyway?"

"Don't really know his name all that well. But he's this weird-looking teddy bear with cloud-like wings and a monocle. Always yelling too."

"Oh, hey! That's Akuma!" Raffina suddenly said.

"Akuma? Who's that?" I asked.

"He runs the library and museum here in Primp. And technically, Melody, he's more of a demon than a teddy bear."

" **No way, seriously?! A demon lives in this town?!** " Ally shouted, this time with an empty mouth.

"Yep. He's pretty much the only demon here. Well, besides Popoi and apparently Lidelle."

" _ ***giggle***_ Still can't believe it, I see." Lidelle said.

"Don't tease me." Raffina retorted.

"OMG! I **SOOO** want to meet him! Melody, please take me with you!"

"Uh…I'm not so sure."

"It's okay, Melody. Lidelle and I already know him. So, he'll be fine with it if we all came along."

"Well…if you say so, then alright."

" **Alright!** " Ally cheered as she snarfed down her food like a wild animal. She then got up and headed for the bathroom.

"I'll be ready in a sec. My stomach is killing me. _Holy molasses. I've gotta…_ "

" **Ally, just go!** " I yelled. Ally then slammed the door shut. The rest us sat there with an uncomfortable look on our faces as we heard her _**really**_ struggling in there.

"Aw, geez. Poor Ally." Raffina said.

"That bathroom's going to be smelling for days." Mom said.

"If she's not going to eat her food, then I'll eat it for her." Lidelle said as she started grabbing stuff from Ally's plate.

 _Seriously! Is there a black hole in that demonic body of hers?!_

* * *

After Ally grossed out everyone at breakfast, we got in the car and headed for the library, or was it the museum? I completely forgot what this place is.

"It's both a library and a museum." Raffina said when I asked her where we were going.

"It's both? Wow, this Akuma guy sounds like he's really smart."

"He really is. He knows about everything and everyone. Nothing really gets past him."

"So…he knows about _**that**_?"

" _ **That**_?" At first, Raffina didn't know what I was talking about. But when I pointed to my head, she figured it out almost immediately.

"Oh. You mean your hat, huh?" She asked. And I silently nodded. Confirming her suspicions.

It's been a while since either one of us brought this up. But around the time I first moved to Primp, we found this thing called the Red Puyo Hat. It was a hat that held strange and unnerving powers. Powers that were often unexplainable, too.

Soon after we found it, we learned from Amira that there are actually 5 of these hats. With their locations being unknown to everyone. I wanted to find them all and managed to convince Raffina and Lidelle to help me out.

Little did I know, attempting to do so would be the biggest mistake of my life.

Because soon after, the Red Puyo Hat started showing its true power, almost killing me in the process. But apparently, I wasn't the only one suffering. Tarutaru, an old classmate of ours, had the Blue Puyo Hat in his family for generations. And Raffina borrowed it to go look for me. But it ended up almost killing her too.

Luckily, the two of us were rescued by Yu and Rei. Twin ghosts who had the Purple Puyo Hat locked up due to its deadly powers. They also locked up the Red and Blue Puyo Hats for that same reason.

We're both entirely grateful for them saving our lives, but we haven't seen them since that day.

 _I wonder what they're up to…_

"You think Akuma may know something about them?" I asked.

"Well, it's impossible to think that he wouldn't. The real question is will he tells us?"

Neither one of us said anything for the remainder of the drive there. The thoughts of our near-death experiences were a real mood killer.

* * *

When we got to the library/museum, I was quite amazed by the place. The building itself looked big from the outside, but inside was a whole different story.

"Woah! This place is huge!" I said while being completely astounded by what I was seeing. The museum part of the building was the first thing we saw as we went inside. There were tons of statues and paintings and stuff. Makes me wonder how this Akuma guy got all this stuff.

"Hey, Amitie! It's this way!" Raffina called out to me.

"Huh? Ah! Coming!" I said, trying to catch up with everyone.

We soon entered the library part of the building, which was just as big as the museum. We were surrounded by what felt like millions of books. Thinking of all the possible knowledge that's inside these books is starting to hurt my mind.

"Wowie. There are so many books here. How can anyone read so many?" I asked.

"Klug's done it once." Raffina said.

" **What?! You mean every single book?!** "

"It sounds unbelievable. But he actually did it."

"He waved a certificate in our faces as proof." Lidelle added.

"He waved it? In your faces?" Ally asked.

"This was when he was still a jerkish asshole." Raffina claimed.

"I see."

Eventually, we spotted a desk with a huge lamp above it. Sitting in it was, as to how Mom described it, a weird-looking teddy bear with cloud-like wings and a monocle. He looked like a wise, old elder. Someone you could look up to, I mean.

"Hey, Akuma. I'm here." Mom said, getting his attention from the book he was reading.

"Melody! You are late, **KUMA!** " Akuma said…or yelled. To be honest, I can't really tell.

"Well, sorry. I've would've been here earlier if this place wasn't so big."

"Hm. You do have a point, **KUMA!** "

"Hey, Akuma." Raffina said.

"Good morning, Mr. Akuma." Lidelle greeted with a bow.

"Raffina. Lidelle. Long time no see, **KUMA!** I hear you will be going to high school in September. Congratulations, **KUMA!** "

"Thank you." They both said.

"Oh hey, Akuma. This is my daughter, Amitie." Mom said as she wrapped her arm around me.

"H-Hi. Nice to meet you, Akuma." I said nervously.

"No need to be nervous. The feeling is mutual, **KUMA!** "

"Oh. Okay then."

"And this girl right here is Ally Nakano. She's Ami's childhood friend."

"Woah…I'm really standing in front of an **ACTUAL** demon! So cool! I've got to take a picture of this! Ayumi is not going to believe this!" Ally said.

"Please. No cell phone use in the library, **KUMA!** "

"Oh. Then can I take one in the museum?"

"No cell phone use in the museum either, **KUMA!** "

"Then how about outside?"

"I don't like my photo taken, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

" _ ***sigh***_ Damn it."

"And besides, **KUMA!** Ayumi wouldn't be all that interested, **KUMA!** "

"Huh? How would you know?" Ally and I asked.

"You both are friends with a girl named Ayumi Katabuki, correct?"

"Yeah, why?"

" **She is my granddaughter! MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

" **Wait, seriously?!** " Ally yelled.

"Wowie. Never would've thought that Ayumi would have a demon for a grandfather. Is there anyone else?" I asked.

"Her mother, AKA my daughter, is only half demon. Ayumi herself is 100% human. Though, she is currently training to become much like her mother, **KUMA!** "

" _Woah…_ " We both said.

 _I am_ _ **SO**_ _calling Ayumi tonight!_

"Anyway, Akuma." Raffina took over the conversation. "Amitie and Ally will be joining us at the high school. And… there's something about her and I that you should know…"

"You and Amitie are in a relationship with each other, am I right?" Akuma asked. The response took Raffina off guard.

"Y-Yeah. H-How did you know?" She stuttered.

"Well, I am a wise and knowledgeable demon from the depths of hell. I know all that happens in this town, **KUMA!** "

" _Wowie…_ " I said.

"That, and Amira told me everything the day she found out."

" **Goddamnit, Amira!** " Raffina yelled in a fit of rage.

"Melody. We still have work to do on your light novel. You kids feel free to look around, **KUMA!** "

"I should be done in an hour or two. Not long at all." Mom added.

"Alright. Later, Mom." I said. The four of us then went off to look around the library for something to do.

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

"Geez, this library is **HUGE**! Probably the biggest I've ever been to!" Amitie said after a few minutes of walking.

"Yeah, no kidding. You think they have any manga here?" Ally asked.

"Probably." Lidelle said. "Though, I've never been able to find any. So I just end up buying them online."

"Huh? Lidelle, you read that stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah. You don't?"

"No, not really."

"Geez, Raffina. You don't play video games, you don't read manga…do you even watch anime? Ally asked.

"I don't really understand all of that stuff."

"Oh, my God. You're straight up girly!"

"How does me not playing video games, reading manga, or watching anime make me girly?!"

"Well, both boys and girls enjoy something that's targeting the opposite gender. The fact that you only do girl things makes you extremely girly." Lidelle said.

"I'm not girly, though!"

"Oh hey, Lidelle. Since you play video games, maybe you can help us settle this argument Ami and I are having." Ally said. Completely ignoring me.

"What argument?"

"Of the two choices, which game is better? ChuChu Rocket or Space Harrier? It's the second one, right?"

"What? No way! Space Harrier has too much stuff going on! It's too hard!" Amitie said.

"And ChuChu Rocket doesn't? I can't tell you how many times I got a game over because of freaking Cat Mania! It's infuriating!"

"What do think, Lidelle?"

"Neither." Lidelle said almost instantly.

"Huh?!"

"While both games are fun to play, neither one of them are better than good ol Mario Kart."

" **Mario Kart?!** " Amitie shouted.

"You're comparing Space Harrier to something a simple as Mario Kart?!" Ally asked.

"Hey! Mario Kart is **NOT** simple! There are these techniques and ultra shortcuts. Managing your items for the whole race. It's something only skilled Mario Kart Masters know about. _Like myself._ "

"Oh, _**please**_!" Both girls said while rolling their eyes.

"Hmph. Fine. Don't believe me? Once we get back to Amitie's, I'll wipe the floor with you both. Then you won't mess with a Mario Kart Legend like me."

"You are _**SO**_ on!"

Throughout their entire argument, I had no idea what they were talking out. I've never been so confused in my entire life.

"Uh…guys. What are you talking about?" I asked.

…

…

…

" _So girly_." Lidelle and Ally said under their breaths.

" **I'M NOT GIRLY!** "

"Don't be upset, Raffina. I enjoy your girliness." Amitie said while hugging me.

"But I'm not…Aw, forget it." I said, giving up on this whole "girly" thing.

* * *

We eventually got ourselves deeper inside the library, at least I think we're still in the library. We were walking through a dark and hazy hallway that had fewer books and more…junk. And it wasn't normal junk either. Something about this junk seemed…strange.

"H-Hey, guys? Wh-Where are we?" Lidelle asked while feeling uneasy.

"I'm not sure. I'm actually kinda scared right now." Ally said.

"Hey, Raffina. I have a bad feeling about this place." Amitie said while holding my arm for comfort.

"Yeah, me too. I just hope we can find some help around here." I said.

" _Yu rang for some help?_ "

When we heard that mysterious fifth voice, we stopped walking and were frozen stiff in fear.

" **Wh-What the hell?! Wh-Who said that?!** " Ally asked in a panicked voice.

The rest of us didn't answer because we were too scared to speak. I felt a presence getting closer to us. It kept getting closer and closer until…

" **SURPRISE! AN ATTACK FROM BEHIND!** "

"From behind."

" ***loud screams of fear*** " We all screamed from the top of our lungs. But seconds later, I recognized the voices and nudged Amitie to get her to turn around with me.

Needless to say, she was happy at what she saw.

"Yu! Rei!" She yelled in excitement.

"Hiya, Amitie and Raffina. Scared ya real good just now, didn't we?" Yu asked.

"Yeah, you two got us good." I said.

"Awesome!"

"Yay." Rei added.

I turned around to see Lidelle and Ally still scared, but now also with looks of confusion.

"Oh. Right. Lidelle, Ally, these are our friends Yu and Rei. We met them back in January."

"January? Wasn't that during the whole Puyo Hat madness?" Lidelle asked.

" _Puyo Hat madness?_ What's a Puyo Hat, and why was it madness?" Ally asked.

"Oh right, Ally. You don't really know what happened to me. Well, you see…"

Amitie then explained to Ally everything that happened 2 months before she moved here. At one point, Amitie almost began to cry. I held her tight and said it was okay. She gave me a kiss on the cheek and continued the explanation.

"…And that's basically it." She said, ending the story.

"W-Wow. I-I never knew that you went through such hell, Ami." Ally said. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I-I didn't want you to worry."

"Ami, I'm your best friend. I'm supposed to worry when stuff like that happens."

"Th-Thanks, Ally." Amitie said while trying to hold back her tears. Ally then turned to look at Yu and Rei.

"So, it was you two who rescued Ami, huh?" She asked. "Well then, thank you both for saving my best friend's life. Name's Ally Nakano, by the way."

"No problemo, Ally. The name's Yu. This is my twin brother, Rei. Rei, say hi."

"Hi." Rei said.

"He's a bit shy, but he's fun once you get to know him."

"I see."

"Come on, Lidelle. Introduce yourself." I said.

"H-Huh? Oh, right. Uh…I'm Lidelle Namanari. Nice to meet you two." She said.

"Same here, Lidelle." Yu said while giving a peace sign. Then went silent as she repeated the name in her head. "Wait, Namanari? As in the Demon King Namanari?"

"Yes. He's my father."

"So, you're… **NO WAY! We're actually meeting the Demonic Princess of the Royal Family of Hell! isn't this exciting, Rei?!** "

"It is." Rei said. Showing no real emotion on his face. But you kinda expect that from him.

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you. Always glad to meet a fan."

 _This happens a lot? She has_ _ **FANS?!**_

"So what are you two doing here, anyway?" Amitie asked.

"Working." Rei answered.

"Huh? You two work here?" I asked.

"Indeedy!" Yu said cheerfully. "Akuma gave us the job last week. He said that in return, we keep the Puyo Hats in the museum where he can research their hidden powers."

"That sounds like a fair deal." Lidelle said.

"Right?! We get to make money! As ghosts! We'll be as rich as a ripped soul fresh from its body!"

"Yu. No one makes that compassion." Rei said.

"They don't? Oh, well."

 _She's just gonna push that aside like it's nothing?!_

"So, what job do you guys do?" Ally asked.

"Well, we're supposed to organize all this junk so Akuma can reopen this part of the library. But even for a pair of ghosts like us, it's a rather difficult task."

"Well, we can help you guys out. Right, everyone?" Amitie asked us.

"Sure. I've got nothing better to do." I said.

"Me neither." Lidelle added.

"Consider it my thanks for saving Ami." Ally said.

"Awesome! Hey, Rei! We're going to get help with our work!" Yu said to her twin.

"Yay." Was all he said. I couldn't really tell if he was excited or upset that we were helping out. But like I said before, you kinda expect that from Rei.

* * *

Yu and Rei took us to the area they were working at, which was littered with weird junk. They told us that most of it was actual garbage. But if we found something that looked important, check it with them first.

Several minutes went by and the junk pile slowly but surely was getting smaller. We were about to call it a day and head back when Amitie found one last item.

"Hey, Yu. What about this thing?" She asked. "This thing" was a fancy-looking black mirror that somehow didn't break under all that clutter.

"Huh. I've actually never seen that thing before. It's not on the list of things to look for, either." Yu said.

"Hey, there's a hole at the top of the mirror." Lidelle said, noticing the dent.

"You think something goes there?" Ally asked.

"Probably." Rei answered.

We all decided to look for the missing part, which took about 10 minutes to find.

"Hey, guys. I think I found it." I said as I raised the thing in the air. It was a red and black diamond-like crystal with a smaller black orb inside of it.

"What **IS** that thing?" Ally asked.

"No idea. It's not on the list, either." Yu said.

"Well, if this and the mirror are not on the list…then maybe they go together." I said.

"Yeah, I guess."

I walked up to mirror with the crystal in hand and inserted it in the hole at the top. After doing so, the mirror was glowing as it started to float on its own. And then the glass inside the mirror started shifting back and forth on its own.

" **Wh-What's happening?!** " Lidelle asked while completely terrified.

" **I-I don't know!** " Ally said. Also completely terrified.

" **R-Raffina! I'm scared!** " Amitie said while clinging on to me.

" **Don't worry, Amitie! I'll protect you!** " I said, holding her tight in the process.

The mirror then began spewing dark red lighting bolts that broke through the roof of the building. Six of them in all. A huge crack began going down the middle of the mirror afterward.

The crack got bigger and bigger…until it eventually broke the entire mirror in half. A bright light engulfed the room and we covered our eyes to avoid getting blind.

" ***scared scream* What's happening?!** " Amitie yelled in fear.

When the light finally cleared up, no traces of the mirror was seen. Only the weird crystal was left. And it was resting next to a girl with orange hair, kinda like Ally's. She was wearing a blue and white dress with a white cloak over it. She was also wearing blue and white wrist bands and shoes. From the looks of it, they were her favorite colors. Yu went up to her and felt her head.

"H-Hey. Y-You okay?" She asked but got no response from the girl.

"H-Hey, guys. I-I think she's unconscious!" Yu said to us. "Quick! Lidelle and Ally, go get Akuma! Amitie, Raffina, help us carry her! There's a room with a bed nearby!"

"Right!" We all said. Lidelle and Ally went off to find Akuma and Melody while Amitie and I helped Yu and Rei carry the unconscious girl to the nearby room.

We don't know who this girl is, or why she came out of the mirror. Hopefully, she remembers everything that happened before coming here. Because she's going to have a lot of explaining to do when she wakes up.

If she wakes up that is.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Decided to save Arle's POV for the next chapter. As in the original Tsu, this chapter was way too long. Especially for a second chapter.**

 **On an unrelated note, Dr. Mario World came out 2 days ago. And so far, it's rather fun. It's nice to have something on my phone to play other than Quest. The only problem I have with it is that everything is so expensive. 4,000 coins or 40 diamonds to even ATTEMPT to get a new character. That's insane! Especially since in Quest, all you need is 5 gems.**

 **Anyway…thanks for reading. Later.**


	22. Visitor From a Strange World

**Chapter 22 – Visitor From a Strange World**

 **Arle's POV**

 _Ow…my head. Wh-What happened? Why am I in so much pain?_

I finally managed to open my eyes and stared at the ceiling. It took me a while for me to move my head over. But when I did, I realized that I was in some kind of lounge. A pretty nice one, to be exact. There was an expensive-looking sofa across from the super comfy bed I was one. And next to the bed was a mini-fridge.

I tried getting off the bed but…

"Ow, Ow, **OUCH!** Wh-What the…why did that hurt so bad?!"

I was only able to sit on the bed when I noticed that I was covered in cuts and bruises.

"H-Huh?! H-How did I get these?! I don't remember doing anything dangerous. I was just walking through the forest having fun with Car…" I stopped myself after realizing something, more like "someone" was missing.

"C-Carby? **Carby?! Where are you?! Stop playing games with me, I'm getting scared!** "

But Carby wasn't playing any games. In fact, he wasn't even in the same room as me. For the first time since who knows how long ago, I was alone. I was in this strange place all by myself. Without Carby to comfort me or tell me "Gugu, gu" which translates to "Everything's going to be fine." in English.

" _C-Carby…_ " I began crying hard tears as I came to realize that I may never see my best friend ever again.

"Hey, guys. I think she's up."

"Don't just rush in there. You might scare her."

"I just hope that she's all patched up. I can't handle blood."

"Please. Knowing your background, I find that hard to believe."

I started hearing female voices coming from outside the room. I immediately went from scared to terrified. What did they mean by _all patched up_? I was convinced that they did something to Carby and feared that I was next.

I had to hide. But with these injuries that I have no idea where they came from, I was extremely limited when it came to movement. So, I decided to get underneath the bed while still feeling the pain from the cuts and bruises. I then quickly covered my mouth to stop myself from crying some more. All from the pain, the fear, and the sadness I was currently feeling.

I heard the door open and multiple footsteps walk inside the room. Based on the limited viewing space I had, there were four people looking around the room.

"Hey, where'd she go?"

"You said she was up, right? With all those injuries she got coming out of that mirror, she couldn't have gotten that far."

"Yeah, true."

" _Wait…mirror? I came out of a…mirror? I-I don't get it. Did I crash into one or something?_ "

I looked at cuts on my arm. They had gotten worse from me crawling under the bed. The carpet was so rough it made my pain even worse than before.

"Did you check under the bed?"

"Huh? Under the bed? How could someone fit under there?"

"Well, where else would she hide? There isn't much."

 _Crap! I'm going to be found!_

Now I had an extreme fear for my life. I knew I didn't stand a chance of fighting back due to my injured state. My only option now is to just accept my fate. Whether or not it leads me to my death.

"Hey, there you are! You feeling any better?" One girl asked as she looked under the bed and saw me. I didn't say anything because I was still scared, so I just shook my head "no".

"Aw, geez. Poor thing. You've been through a lot, haven't you?"

I nodded my head "yes".

"Thought so. Well, you don't have to be scared anymore. You're safe with us. So, do you think you can come out from under there?" The girl said as she reached out her hand towards me.

I really didn't want to, but this blonde-haired girl's green eyes were somehow soothing. I felt so relax from looking at her. As like I could trust her and whoever's out there with her. I know that's bad judgment, but I really can't stay under this bed living in constant fear the rest of my life.

Especially if it's ending soon.

I grabbed the girl's hand and crawled out from under the bed. Once fully out, I sat down on the bed trying to hold in the pain from the cuts and bruises. I noticed that with the blonde-haired girl was a pink-haired girl, a green-haired girl with two small horns poking out of it, and an orange-haired girl. All were staring at me with compassion.

"Well, you seemed tired. So we're going to let you rest some more, okay?" The blonde said. As the four girls began to leave, my anxiety built up again.

" **W-Wait!** " I shouted. Shocking them all. "D-Do you mind…s-staying here a bit? I-I just… _don't want to be alone._ " I said the last part in sadness.

The four girls looked at each other. Then looked at me with smiles on their faces.

"Sure. No problem." The blonde said. The four girls grabbed a couple of chairs and sat in front of me in order to keep me company.

"So what's your name, if you don't mind me asking?" The same girl asked.

 _Sh-Should I tell them? I-I mean, I'm still on the defense with them. But they did agree to stay with me._

…

 _M-Maybe I can trust them a little…_

"A-Arle. Arle Nadja." I said shyly.

"Arle Nadja. That's a nice name."

I smiled a little after hearing that.

"My name's Amitie Rose. Nice to meet you, Arle."

"S-Same here…Amitie."

"You don't have to be afraid anymore. We're here to help." The pink-haired girl said.

"Oh, s-sorry uh…"

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. My name's Raffina Fielding. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Raffina."

"I'm Lidelle Namanari. Nice to meet you."

"The name's Ally Nakano. It's nice to meet such a cutie like you."

The other two girls introduced themselves and I felt a little more comfortable around these four girls.

Although…I did find what Ally just said to be a little weird.

"Knock it off, Ally." Amitie said.

"What? I really meant it. She's cute." Ally said.

"Yeah, but don't just say it so randomly like that. It makes you look like a pervert." Lidelle said.

"How? You're a cute too, Lidelle."

"H-Huh?! I-I am?!"

"Of course."

…

…

"W-Well, that's…g-good to know." Lidelle was blushing really hard after that.

 _Uh…what just happened?_

"Uh…sorry about Ally. She's a weirdo." Amitie apologized.

" **Hey!** " And Ally got offended.

"I-It's fine. I understand." I said. Somewhat lying to them.

* * *

The five of us continued talking about random stuff that came to our minds. The more we talked, the more calm and comfortable I got while being around them. And the less I saw them as a threat. I don't know how long we've been talking, but I haven't had this much fun since I was in kindergarten.

But there was one thing I wanted to talk about. And I didn't find it fun at all.

"Hey, Amitie. I heard you guys talk about me getting hurt from a mirror. What's that about?" I asked.

The room went silent.

"W-Well, Arle…we were hoping you knew." Amitie said.

"Huh?" I didn't get it.

"We found the mirror in a pile of junk in the library. There was this crystal that had to go in it and when we put the two together, the mirror did some strange and creepy stuff. And when it was all over, we found you laying on the floor unconscious. So we brought you here." Raffina explained.

"Wow. I see."

"Arle, do you remember anything that happened before you came here?" Lidelle asked me.

"Well, all I remember was me walking through a forest with…with… _with_ _ ***sniff***_ " I then had all the sadness from before come back to me. And I began to cry in front of these girls.

"A-Arle…you okay?" Ally asked.

" _ ***sniff***_ _Carby…_ "

"Carby?" Everyone else asked.

" _O-Oh, sorry. I-I was talking about my best friend, Carbuncle. I call him Carby. We were on an adventure together near the forest when a giant hole appeared in the sky. It started spewing these huge lightning bolts. Zapping random spots all over. And I think…I think I got hit, too. But I don't remember much around that time. All I really remember is that I woke up here and realized that Carby was gone. Nowhere in sight. And it_ _ ***sniff***_ _…it shattered me completely._ "

"Arle. I'm so sorry." Lidelle said. "What was Carbuncle like?"

"Well, he's like a short yellow rabbit-looking thing with a red jewel on his head. Loves eating, sleeping, and going on adventures. Oh, and he only says "Gugu"."

"Gugu? What does that mean?" Amitie asked.

"Pretty much everything. It took me a while to learn his speech. But nowadays it's pretty easy." The more I talked about Carby, the sadder I became.

" _I just…wish I could see him again._ "

"Well, maybe he's somewhere outside. We can go look for him once you get better."

"Really?! You guys will help me?! Gee, thanks! You're all the best!" Now I felt **REALLY** trustful of these girls. Knowing that they're going to help me find Carby. I can't wait to see him again!

"Hey, Arle. You said a giant hole appeared in the sky while you and Carbuncle were near the forest, right?" Raffina asked.

"Yeah, why?"

Raffina didn't answer immediately and slightly turned her head away from me.

"Raffina? Are you okay? You have a sad look on your face." Amitie said.

"W-Well…I texted Klug earlier and he just responded. He said there wasn't a giant hole over the forest."

"W-Wait… **WHAT?!** M-Maybe your friend was inside somewhere." I said panickily.

"N-No. He was outside. In the forest, to be exact."

"H-How? I-I don't remember seeing anyone else in Hamaji Forest."

"Hamaji Forest? Uh…don't you mean Nahe Forest." Ally asked.

"Nahe Forest? I…I've never heard that name before."

"Really? So, you don't live here in Primp Town?" Amitie asked.

"Primp…Town? What's that?"

The room went silent again.

"Ladies. The building's closing. Time to go, **KUMA!** " I heard the voice of a male figure as he came in the room. I was really surprised that it was a teddy bear with that deep of a voice.

"H-Hey, Akuma? Do you think we can take Arle with us? She doesn't want to be alone right now." Raffina asked.

"Hmm…normally I would be against this. But seeing as this situation is not normal, I guess I can make an exception, **KUMA!** "

"Thanks, Akuma."

"But be back here tomorrow, **KUMA!** I still need to figure out what in the world happened, **MA, KUMA, KUMA!** "

"Will do." Raffina said.

* * *

The weird-looking teddy bear, who I now know is named Akuma, showed us the way out the building where a woman, who I now know is named Melody and is Amitie's mom, was waiting for us in this thing called…a "car"?

Raffina and Lidelle walked home while I went to Amitie's house with her and Ally. Once there, I took a nice bath and ate something called…"ramen"?

It was really good, to be honest.

I then borrowed one of Amitie's shirts for pajamas and laying in what they called…a "futon"?

I'm not sure what this place is, but it sure is weird.

"Hey, Arle? Are you still scared?" Amitie asked me.

"T-To be honest, yeah…I still am."

"Don't worry, Arle. We'll figure everything out tomorrow." Ally said.

"Th-Thank you, both. I-I really appreciate the help I've gotten."

"No problem, Arle. We are friends, are we not?"

"Fr…Friends?" Hearing that took me by surprise. Did they really see me as a friend? A girl that they claimed came out of a mirror and has no idea what happened to herself? Can stuff like that even happen that fast?

…

 _Do they really…trust me?_

"Arle?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. Well, goodnight!" I said while quickly getting under the covers.

"Okay…good night then." Amitie said. Completely confused.

"Aw, c'mon damnit. Ayumi still hasn't responded." I heard Ally say.

"Ally, we'll ask her again in the morning. Go to sleep."

"Fine, Ami. whatever."

As the other two girls began sleeping, I laid underneath the covers in my tiny bed thinking of what a day I just had.

I'm in an unfamiliar location.

I have little memory of what happened beforehand.

I've met a group of weird but friendly new people.

And my best friend is missing.

 _ ***sniff***_ _Carby…where are you, buddy? I…I miss you._

After having that last thought, I closed my tear-filled eyes and went to sleep.

…

Well…tried to, at least.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Arle's first appearance is a rather sad one as she wakes up in a new location with multiple cuts & bruises, very little memory of what happened to her, and without Carbuncle.**

 **Sad and alone in a new area, her only option is to trust these new girls that she's met. Who have already accepted her as a friend.**

 **Next chapter will see a HUGE change. As it will put to rest a problem I had in Fever. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	23. A Rip Between Dimensions

**Chapter 23 – A Rip Between Dimensions**

 **Arle's POV**

I didn't get much sleep last night. Some of it was a light snooze, but most of it was me quietly crying over the fact that I don't have Carby with me in this weird place I somehow ended up in. Amitie and her friends said something about a mirror, but that's all they really know about it.

I'm really hoping that this Akuma guy can figure out what happened. I don't think my heart can handle this feeling of emptiness much longer.

Right now, at least…I was eating breakfast with these girls. Raffina and Lidelle had came over and Lidelle had cooked for everyone. I'll admit, it was really good.

It didn't really cheer me up, though.

"Hey, Arle. Feeling any better?" I hear Amitie ask me.

"H-Huh? Oh…yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

…

…

"Wh-What?" I asked once everyone started staring at me.

"Arle…please stop lying to us." Raffina said.

"L-Lying? Wh-What are you talking about?"

"Ami and I heard you crying last night. It was unsettling, to say the least." Ally said.

"Y-You did, huh?" I didn't really respond much after that. just went back into my cloud of emotional depression.

"Arle, you don't have to be sad anymore. We're here to help you…we're your friends." Amitie said.

"Fr-Friends…"

 _There's that word again. Why dot hey keep using it?_

"Of course. Friends care for each other and help each other out for as long as they live."

"Really. So, tell me then…why did you girls instantly become friends with me?"

"Huh? Why? What do you mean?"

"I mean…are you girls _**really**_ my friends? Or are you just going to ditch me like how Carby did?"

"What? Why would we do that?"

"We just don't want you to feel sad and alone anymore. We're doing all we can to make you feel more comfortable." Raffina added.

"Really now? So, you're basically taking pity on me, huh? Is _**that**_ it? You all just decided to help out a lonely little girl just to make yourselves look good. And then, no matter what happens, you're just going to leave me. Just like the only friend I ever had."

…

"Or at least…the only friend I **THOUGHT** I ever had."

"A-Arle…" Lidelle silently said.

"Tch. Just leave me alone. All of you. I don't need your pity. I'm 16, damnit. If I'm going to die in an unknown place, then I can do it myself."

"D-Die?! A-Arle, wait!" Amitie called out to me.

But I didn't listen. I instead stood up from the floor and ran out of the door in pure sadness and bitter anger. I wanted to get far away from everyone. To die alone in this strange place. Where I got abandoned by the people I care about. And fell for the fake kindness of these people.

…

…

But soon I realized…I didn't know where to go from here. So, I just sat on the outside floor in this heat and cried to myself once again.

" _Why?_ _ ***sniff***_ _Just why? Why was I brought here? How was I brought here? Why am I the only one here? I'm_ _ ***sniff***_ _all alone…without Carby. And everyone else, too. I've been…abandoned._

 _ ***sniff***_

 _ ***sob***_

 _I…I just want to die._ "

"Arle."

I turned around to see one of the last people I wanted to see right now. Or ever.

"Tch. What do you want, Amitie? Didn't I said to leave me alone?"

"If you really meant that, then you wouldn't be sitting in front of my house crying like a damn baby."

" **Wh-Who are you calling a baby, you damn little brat?!** "

" **I'M the damn brat?! We're the ones trying to help you and you're over here thinking of ways to kill yourself! How is that solving anything, huh?!** "

" **It's solving MY problems! You don't know what it's like to be abandoned! Left alone! Lost and alone! Your only option is to just accept your fate and die a horrible death! Just to end all the pain you have inside you! YOU DON'T GET ME AT ALL! SO QUIT TRYING TO BE ALL BUDDY-BUDDY WITH ME! IT'S ALL TOO GODDAMN POINT…** "

 ***SLAP***

…

" _Wha…What?_ "

I lost all feeling in my body and mind once Amitie had slapped me in the face. That action…no one has ever done that to me before. Not even my own mother. To have a complete stranger do it to me…

 _Wh-What is going on?_

"Are you done spouting crap now?" Amitie asked me.

I was legit scared of getting slapped again. So, I didn't say anything and just nodded in agreement.

"Look, Arle. I'm sorry for doing that. But you weren't listening to anything we were saying. What we said was absolutely true. We are trying to help you. We won't ever abandon you. We want to be your friends. Friends help each other in a time of need. And right now, you need all the help right now. So, please. Let us help you."

I…I didn't know what to think about this. I still didn't really trust them. But after all the things they did for me yesterday. In an attempt to make me more comfortable…I can't ignore the fact that they are trying.

…

A-At least…not anymore, I can't.

"A…A-Alright. I-I guess I can…tr-trust you guys more." I said silently.

"See? That's it. We all just want to help. You can trust us, Arle. Really, you can."

"I-I guess. Th-Thanks…Amitie."

"No, problem. Want a hug?"

…

…

"S-Sure. I-I guess."

We both stood up and Amitie started out the hug. It took me a while to get the feeling to return it. But I soon did. This feeling of comfort. Something I thought I lost when I realized I wasn't home anymore. It felt…different in this place.

Like…as if I could…

" _Kiss her…_ "

"H-Huh?"

" _Come on. Kiss her…_ "

"B-But I can't…"

" _Kiss her…_ "

" _Kiss her…_ "

" _Kiss her…_ "

" _Kiss her…_ "

" _Kiss…_ "

 ***POW***

"… _her._ "

"Shut up, you damn weirdo." Raffina said after hitting Ally in the head.

 _W-Were they…watching? Th-This whole time?_

" _Ouchie. Ami, your girlfriend really packs a punch._ "

"I know." Amitie said. "It's one of the reasons why I love her."

" _ ***giggle***_ Amitie…" Raffina said.

"G-Girlfriend?" I asked with a faint blush.

"Yeah. These two are dating." Lidelle said. "You kinda have to be warry of them. As they're known for having make-out sessions that drag on forever."

" **N-No, we do not!** " Amitie and Raffina yelled.

"Yeah, you do." Ally said. "I got your last one on video on my phone. I can prove it if you want."

"You can delete that damn video, Ally." Raffina said in a threatening tone.

"Well, I could…for a 1,000 Credits."

" **Wh-What the hell?! I'm not giving you 1,000 Credits, you scamming piece of..** "

"Okay, then. Video stays. Thank you for doing business with me." Ally said with a cheeky-like smile.

" _ **Wh-Why you little…**_ "

"A-Anyway…" Amitie interrupted the two. "We're going back to the museum in about an hour or so. Anything you want to do until then, Arle?"

…

"Uh, well…do you mind if I take a bath first?" I asked.

"Sure, that's fine. I'll even let you borrow some of my clothes for you to change into."

"Wow, Ami. You're willing to let Arle borrow some of your clothes just like that?" Ally asked.

"Yeah, why not? She doesn't have much of her own."

" _Hmm…_ " Ally went silent while looking at me. I don't know why, but I felt _**really**_ uncomfortable as she did that.

"Well…judging by Arle's size, I'm having some doubts that she'll fit those A-cupped bras you have, Ami."

" **Tch! A-Ally!** " Amitie yelled with a huge blush on her face.

"Oh, Arle. By the way, Ami's an A-cup, Lidelle's an A-cup, I'm a C-cup, and _shockingly_ …Raffina's a D-cup."

" **A-Ally!** " Raffina yelled in anger.

"Seriously, what is wrong with you?" Lidelle asked with a facepalm.

"Um…good to know. I guess." I said with a mildly confused sweatdrop.

* * *

Once I got in the bathroom, I turned the water on and measured for the right temperature. I then took off my clothes and undid my ponytail to let my hair down. That's when I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Completely surprised at what I was looking at.

 _W-Woah. I-I actually look…kind of cute like this. Maybe I should keep it like this for a while…_

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Hey, Arle. You in the bath yet?" I heard Amitie's voice from outside the bathroom.

 _Cr-Crap!_

I was so immersed with my new look that I forgot that I was taking a bath. I quickly got in the tub and closed the curtain in front of it.

"Uh…yeah. You can come in now." I said.

Amitie opened the bathroom door and closed it once inside.

"I'm just going to leave the clothes near the sink." She said. "Hey, do you mind if I brush my teeth real quick?"

"Uh…Sure. Go ahead."

"Thanks."

Amitie ran the water in the sink and began brushing her teeth. Other than the sound of both water faucets running, it was dead silent in here. With that, I started thinking about what's happened to me so far. And one part of it came across my mind.

"Hey…Amitie?"

"Yeah?"

"You said the mirror did some strange and creepy stuff before you found me, right? What exactly did it do?"

"Well…after Raffina inserted the weird-looking crystal inside the mirror, it started floating and glowing. It then shot six lightning bolts into the sky and then broke in half. That's when we found you. Laying unconscious on the floor."

"W-Wow. I can imagine you all were terrified."

"Yeah, it isn't something that happens every day here."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, true."

We both had a good laugh about what counts as "normal" nowadays.

"Hey, Arle?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you have friends at your home? Like besides Carbuncle?"

I didn't say anything for a little while.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"N-No, it's okay. I actually did have friends besides Carby. I'll admit, they're pretty weird. But they're fun to be around once you get to know them."

"Do you miss them?"

…

…

"Yeah. I kinda do."

"Kinda?"

"Like I said. They're pretty weird."

"I see."

"But…even if I don't see them ever again, I've got you and your friends to keep me company."

"Arle. They're _**OUR**_ friends."

"Really?"

"Really."

"E…Even Raffina?"

…

…

Amitie didn't say anything for a while. I couldn't tell if she was thinking of what to say or trying to avoid the conversation.

"W-Well…w-with Raffina and I…it's a bit different."

"Y-You two are dating, right?"

"Y-Yeah."

Both of us went dead silent.

"H-Hey. D-Does it…feel good? T-To love someone?"

"Y-Yeah. It does, actually."

Both of us went dead silent again. Once again, the only sound that could be heard was the running water coming from the sink and the bathtub.

"H-Hey, Arle. A-Are you…against us? I-I mean…do you hate the relationship Raffina and I have?"

"N-N-No! O-Of course, not! I think you two being together is completely fine! I-I just…you know…personally…I don't swing that way."

"Oh. Well, good. I'm glad." I heard Amitie give out a sigh of relief.

"Sorry for making you uncomfortable." I said.

"It's okay. I'm fine, really."

"Okay, then. Well, I'm going to come out now."

"Oh, okay. I'll leave now."

Amitie left the bathroom and closed the door behind her. Once she was gone, I got out of the tub and dried myself off.

Before putting on the clothes Amitie left me, one thought came to mind.

 _Do I really have the guts to go out into this weird new world without a bra on? I mean…honestly, mine are roughly the same size as Amitie's…_

…

…

 _No. N-Never mind. I'll just put back on the one I have now._

Once I got that situated, I put on the clothes Amitie left for me. Being a white t-shirt with a big unfilled blue star on the bottom left corner and a little unfilled blue star underneath that. With a pair of black shorts.

I then looked at the mirror once more. About to tie my hair back up when I remembered how cute I looked with my hair down.

" _You know…maybe I'll keep it down for a little while. A new look wouldn't hurt much._ " I said to myself as I put my hair scrunchie on my arm.

Once I was all dressed, I exited the bathroom and went to the living room where the other girls were sitting at.

"Wow, Arle. Nice hairstyle." Lidelle said.

"Yeah, you look pretty cute with your hair down." Raffina added.

"R-Really? Y-You think so?"

"Totally!" Ally said. "So much so that I could just kiss you right now!"

"Th-That's not all that necessary, Ally." I replied with a little panic.

"Ally. Shut the hell up." Amitie said to her. "Anyway, ready to go Arle?"

"Yeah, sure but…what about her?" I said while pointing to Melody, who was still asleep.

"Meh. It's her day off. So, I'm just gonna let her sleep."

"Oh. Okay then."

With that said, the five of us walked out of Amitie's house and began walking into this strange new world that I somehow came to.

* * *

 **Amitie's POV**

"So what's your home like, Arle?"

We were walking around the plaza talking about random stuff when I asked Arle this question.

"Huh? You really want to know?" She asked.

"Sure. We all do, right guys?"

"Yeah, I'm also curious." Raffina said.

"Me too." Lidelle added.

"Is there like a fire-breathing dragon where you live?" Ally asked.

"Ally, be serious." I said to her.

"Actually…I do know one."

" **WHAT?! SERIOUSLY?!** " The four of us shouted.

"Yeah. He belongs to this girl I used to know back then. Her name was Chico and the dragon was named…well, Dragon."

"Dragon the Dragon?" Lidelle asked.

"Kind of a lazy name choice." Raffina said.

"True. But they were both fun to be around once you got to know them. Though I've only been with her for a few months. One day she just…disappeared. And I haven't really seen her since."

"Wow, that sucks. You didn't get her phone number?" I asked.

…

…

"A what number?" Arle looked confused.

"Don't you have a phone?" Lidelle asked.

"What's a phone?"

The four of us just stared at her with surprised looks on our faces. We seriously couldn't believe that there's someone who has never heard of a phone.

"Arle…just where are you from?" I asked.

Arle just looked at us with a confused looked on her face.

We soon arrived at the museum. Right around the time we had finished telling Arle more about this town.

"So, this place is called…Primp?" She asked. "Kind of a weird name for a town."

"Hey, how is it weird? It sounds just fine to me." Raffina interjected. I guess she was getting offended that these strange visitors were badmouthing her hometown.

Although I love being here, I don't have the same feeling she does since I've only been here for about four months.

"Then what exactly is a Primp?" Arle asked.

…

…

"W-Well…i-it's something. Something important enough to have a town named after it. A-And besides, I bet the name of your town is weird as hell."

"Well…there aren't really any towns where I'm from."

"Huh? There aren't any towns where you guys came from?" Lidelle asked.

"No. It's mainly just patches of grass, hills, mountains, beaches, forests, ruins, caves, cloud worlds, volcanos, dark castles, dungeons, labyrinths…

"Damn. Anything else?" Ally asked.

"Hmm…oh, yeah. There's also Hell."

The rest of us were dumbfounded (and somewhat terrified) of how Arle described her home.

"You go to Hell often, but not a city or town?" I asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"It's not as weird as you guys think it is." Lidelle said. "I go to Hell all the time."

"L-Lidelle…" Raffina said with a facepalm.

"Wait, you go to Hell too, Lidelle?" Arle asked.

"Apparently, she's some kind of demonic princess down there." I said.

"Not _**a**_ demonic princess. **THE** Demonic Princess." Lidelle added.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. Let's just go inside now. This conversation made us somewhat late."

"Alright, fine."

* * *

We went inside the museum and headed to the far back of it to where Akuma's study was.

"Come in, **KUMA!** " We heard Akuma say when we knocked on the door. When we entered the room, we saw Akuma sitting at his desk. Along with Yu, Rei, and oddly enough…a fourth person.

"Huh? Lemres? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Hope you don't mind. But when Akuma came to me about this yesterday I got a little curious. So. I came by to check things out." Lemres said.

"He's been a great help into figuring out what happened yesterday, **KUMA!** " Akuma said.

"Yeah! He even cleared up all that junk in the library!" Yu said cheerfully.

"Which was originally _**your**_ job, **KUMA!** "

"O-Oh, yeah…" Yu rubbed the back of her head out of embarrassment.

"It's okay, Yu. "The more help, the better" I always say." I said in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Thanks, Amitie." Yu replied.

"By the way, I see we have a new face joining us. Shall we get introductions out of the way first?" Lemres said.

"Oh, right. Of course." I said with a clear of my throat. "Everyone, this is our new friend, Arle Nadja." I then turned to Arle. "Lemres is the tall guy wearing the hat, Akuma is the demon teddy bear, and the twin ghosts are named Yu and Rei."

"Hello, everyone. It's nice to meet you all." Arle greeted everyone.

"Nice to officially meet you as well, Arle, **KUMA!** " Akuma said.

"Greetings to you, Arle." Lemres said.

"Nice of us to be _spiritual_ friends, Arle!" Yu cheered. "Right, Rei?"

"Yeah." Was all Rei said.

"Don't worry about him. He's rather shy."

"I see…" Arle said.

"Anyway, did you and Lemres figure out what was with that mirror, Akuma?" I asked.

"Ah, yes. About that…we did come up with a conclusion, but it comes with bad news." Akuma said.

"How bad?"

"Well…let me start from the beginning." Akuma cleared his throat, then continued on with his explanation. "It starts with that mirror. As you all are aware, it wasn't a normal mirror. And after doing some research, I came to the conclusion that it was called the Dimensional Mirror, **KUMA!** "

"Th-The Dimensional Mirror? That name alone sounds scary." Lidelle said while hiding behind Ally.

"Yes, it does. The Dimensional Mirror is an object that can teleport someone to a different dimensional world at random. It was once destroyed by a legendary star warrior long ago. But it was somehow put back together. And it ended up in this world, **KUMA!** "

"Woah. That's some power." Ally said.

"Hold on. What about that crystal I found?" Raffina asked. "The mirror started doing all that stuff when I put the crystal inside the slot on top of it."

"Ah, yes, **KUMA!** The crystal. After doing more research, I found out that it was called a Soul Ruby, **KUMA!** "

"S-Soul Ruby? Why do these things have scary names?" Lidelle asked. She was definitely terrified, as proven by how tight she was holding Ally at this point.

" _ **Ack!**_ **Lidelle! You're squeezing me too tight! I can't…** _ **breathe**_ **!** " Ally shouted. Or at least tried to.

"Anyway, Soul Rubies are gems that hold extraordinary dark powers, **KUMA!** They are extremely hard to find. So I do not know how one ended up in that junk pile, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

"Hm. Soul Rubies…." Arle said to herself.

"You know what they are, Arle?" I asked her.

"Well…it sounds familiar. I think someone I know knows a lot about them. But I'm not remembering who."

"Is your memory gone or something, Arle?" Lemres asked.

"Well…kinda. I don't remember much from the point those lightning bolts started coming down and when I woke up here. It's mostly a blur."

"I see…"

"When the Dimensional Mirror and the Soul Ruby came together, it created a rip in space and time. Reaching dimensions the mirror couldn't reach before on its own. Thus, bringing you here, Arle, **KUMA!** " Akuma explained.

"I got a question."

"Yes, Amitie?"

"When the Dimensional Mirror was active, it shot out six lightning bolts into the sky. Does Arle count as one of those lightning bolts? And if so, what about the others?"

"Hmm…good question. Unfortunately, I cannot answer such a question right now, **KUMA!** As I have no idea, **KUMA!** "

"Fiddlesticks." I was a little disappointed in that answer. I hoping to help Arle out in some way. Maybe there was a possibility that those friends she was talking about earlier ended up here.

Who knows, really.

"B-By the way, Mr. Akuma." Arle asked. "I-Is there a way for me to get back?"

That's when we went silent for a bit.

"Wh-What?" Arle asked.

"U-Uh…Arle. You do remember what I said earlier, right?"

"Huh? Wh-What you said earlier?"

"Unfortunately…when the Dimensional Mirror brought you here, it shattered in half. Ceasing to exist."

"S-So…that means…"

"I'm afraid that you are stuck here. I'm so sorry, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

" _Oh. Okay then._ " Arle sounded really depressed after hearing that there's no chance of her getting home.

"A-Arle…" I said to her.

"I-I'm fine, Amitie. It's just… _ ***sniff***_ " Arle went silent again, trying to hold back her tears.

"You miss Carbuncle, do you?"

Arle silently shook her head _yes_.

"Carbuncle? Who's that?" Lemres asked.

"He's Arle's friend from her homeworld…or dimension, I guess. How did you describe him again, Arle?"

" _ ***sniff***_ _Well…he's like a short yellow rabbit-looking thing with a red gem on his head. He loves eating, sleeping, and going on adventures. And he only says "Gugu". Which pretty much means everything._ "

"Wait. Did you say a red gem?" Yui asked.

" _Y-Yeah, why?_ "

"Rei, didn't you say that you found another red gem in that trash room earlier?"

"Yeah. It's right here." Rei then pulled out a red hexagonal gem from his ghost sheet. It was really shiny. Almost blinded us for a second.

"Woah. What is that?" Raffina asked. Looking like she fell in love with that thing.

"It doesn't look like the Soul Crystal from before." Lidelle said.

" _N…No. I-It can't be…_ " We then heard Arle say in an even sadder tone.

"Arle? You know what it is?" Ally asked.

" _Th…That gem. I-It's called the Rubelcrack._ "

"The Rubelcrack?" We all asked.

" _It…It's the…It's the gem that's on Carby's head._ "

…

…

…

"Oh, sh*t." Raffina said.

"A-Akuma. Pl-Please tell me…" I begged of the demonic teddy bear.

"While doing the research on the Dimensional Mirror, it stated that there is a small chance that a person traveling through dimensions will actually…not make it to their destination, **KUMA!** "

"And by "not make it", we mean…well…I'm sure you can figure it out." Lemres added.

 _Oh, no…Arle._

" _No…No, it can't be!_ _ **IT JUST CAN'T BE! CARBY! NOOO! WAAAAAAAAA!**_ " Arle then immediately broke down crying. Hard tears came out of her eyes as she came to terms…

That her best friend was…dead.

"Arle. I'm so sorry." I said to her.

"We all are." Raffina added.

" _ ***sniff***_ _It…It's fine. It may be a while before I can completely feel better about this, though. Y-You girls will help me, right?_ "

"Do you really need to ask that? Of course, we'll help you. We're all friends here."

"We'll help for as long as you need it." Lidelle said.

"Damn straight." Ally added.

" _ ***sniff***_ _Thanks, you guys._ " Arle said with a small smile. She then went silent for a bit. " _H-Hey, Rei. C-Can I…C-Can I have that gem?_ "

"You want it?" Rei asked.

" _It's to…keep a memory of him. If you know what I mean._ "

"Is that okay, Akuma?" Yui asked.

"Well…seeing as Arle knows about it more than us, I think giving it to her would be the best option, **KUMA!** "

"Fair enough." Rei said as he gave the Rubelcrack gem to Arle. More tears began to run down her face. But this time, she wiped them clear.

"Well now. I'm sure this is a sad moment to live by. How's about we all go to my shop and eat some ice cream?" Lemres suggested.

" **Yay! Free ice cream!** " Yu cheered.

"You still have to pay."

" _Aw, phooey._ "

"Yu, I have money." Rei said.

" **Awesome! Thanks, Rei!** " Yu cheered as she hugged her twin brother.

"Care to join us, Akuma?" Lemres asked him.

"I must decline. The Dimensional Mirror may be gone for good, but there are still some Soul Rubies out there somewhere, **KUMA!** I must continue my research on them, **KUMA!** "

"I see."

"That, and I'm lactose intolerant, **MA, KUMA!** "

"Oh, right. Guess that would be bad." Lemres said with a sweatdrop.

"Farewell, everyone, **MA, KUMA, KUMA!** " Akuma said as the rest of walked out of the office.

* * *

After we ate some ice cream, Lemres and the twin ghosts went home. So, it was just our recently formed group of five. We were walking back to my house figuring out what to do next.

"So, Arle. Any idea where you're going to stay?" Lidelle asked.

…

"Arle."

"Huh? O-Oh, right. Well…c-can I stay with you, Amitie?"

"Sure, Arle. I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind." I said with a smile.

"Great. Thanks." Arle then went back to staring at the Rubelcrack gem.

 _She looks so miserable. Knowing that she's forever stuck here and her best friend is dead. That gem is the only memory of her past life. It must be extra special to her._

That's when I gained an idea. And signaled Raffina to come closer to me.

" _ ***whisper* *whisper***_ "

"Huh? Really? Well…yeah, I can do that."

"Do what?" Ally asked us.

"Well. I was asking Raffina if she can do a little favor for Arle." I said.

"A-A favor? F-For me?" Arle looked surprised.

"The favor being…me turning that gem into a necklace you can wear, Arle." Raffina said.

"A-A necklace?"

"Yeah. That way, you can always have Carbuncle close to your heart at all times. Neat, huh?"

Arle was stone-faced shocked for a good while.

"Y-You…You would do that? F-F-For someone like me?"

"Someone like you? Come on, Arle. Don't hate yourself like that. I have no problems doing it. After all, we are friends, right?"

…

…

"R… **Right! We're all friends!** _ ***giggle***_ " Arle shouted with a big cheerful smile.

"Looks like she finally gets it." Ally said.

"And it's about time, too." Lidelle added.

" **Come on, everyone! Sleepover at my house!** " I cheered.

" **Alright!** "

The five of us rushed over to my house to enjoy our new friendship with Arle. When we got inside, however, we saw something that was surprising to the other four girls. Not so much for me, though.

"Woah…" Arle said.

"That's amazing…" Ally said.

"Unbelievable…" Lidelle said.

"Holy crap…" Raffina said.

" _Get really real…_ " I said. With an added facepalm.

What we were looking at was Mom. As it turned out, she had slept through the entire day. In the **EXACT** **SAME SPOT** as when we left her this morning.

" _Hahahaha…One more life, and then it's night-night forever…_ "

I don't even want to know what that means.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **An event that's been dragged on for too long has been explained fully. Carbuncle is not in this story and this explains why. Sorry if it seems too dark. But I felt like it was the best way to do it.**

 **I've also delayed the appearance of Schezo for a bit. If you guys remember, the girls ran into him at a shopping mall in this chapter. I'll probably save him for the chapter after next or something. Make it just Arle for a while.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	24. The Rubelcrack's Hidden Power

**Chapter 24 – The Rubelcrack's Hidden Power**

 **Raffina's POV**

" _And it's…_ **Done!** Here you go, Arle."

"Woah! Thank you **SO** much, Raffina! This looks so cool!" Arle cheered as she took her new Rubelcrack Necklace from me in excitement. It took two days for it to be made. But Arle was surprisingly patient with the process.

 _I wish most of our other customers were like her._

"Wow. It looks even prettier than before." Ally said.

"It's so shiny. I can't stop staring at it." Lidelle said.

"This makes me super jealous of you, Arle. I wish I had such cute jewelry."

 _Seriously? Do you not realize where you are?_

"Uh…Amitie. You could just ask and I can get you some." I said to her.

"Huh? You mean for real?"

"This is my family's jewelry store. I work here from time to time. And I'm your girlfriend. Those are three perfectly good reasons why you can ask me for jewelry. You other girls only got the first two."

"Gee. Thanks." Lidelle, Ally, and Arle said in a sarcastic tone.

"W-Wow. Thanks, Raffina. I want to pick some out right now!"

"Easy, girl. We don't have any gems right now. We're still waiting on a shipment from my parents."

" _Aw, what?! That sucks!_ "

"Life sucks, Amitie. We just gotta deal with it."

" _ ***sigh***_ Damnit."

"Anyway. Now that it's done, I've been meaning to ask you, Arle. What exactly does this Rubelcrack gem do?"

"What does it do?" Arle went silent for a bit while staring at her new necklace. "Well…I've seen Carby shoot a laser from it a couple of times. But even that has weird and random effects."

"A-A laser?!" We all yelled.

"Wh-When was the last time it was used?" Lidelle asked.

"Hmm…it was…the time Carby turned the moon into a second sun."

" **What?!** " We all shouted this time.

"It took a while for that to get fixed, too."

"D-Damn…" I said.

"That's one powerful gem." Amitie added.

"Yeah. This thing has caused a lot of stuff back in my world. Good and bad."

 _Sounds like a hell of a time._

As Arle continued to stare at her necklace, the gem…it started to glow. A bright red light was coming from it. And we saw a tiny twinkle from the inside.

"Oh no…"

"Wh-What do you mean "Oh no"? What does "Oh no" mean, Arle?" I asked.

"Guys…I think it's about to…fire a laser."

…

…

…

…

…

" **OH, CRAP!** "

Once we all shouted that, the Rubelcrack shot out a laser. It bounced off pretty much everything with this being a jewelry store. We even had to duck a few times to prevent it from blasting our heads off. The thing was crazy fast.

" **When is it going to stop?!** " Ally asked.

" **I don't know! It's never done this before!** " Arle yelled.

The laser bounced around a few more times before, oddly enough, returning to the Rubelcrack. Which, once again, began to glow. We all gathered around it as close as possible.

Then…

 ***SOUND OF DISTORTION***

" **Waaaaaaaa!** "

…

…

" _Ow. My head._ " Lidelle said.

" _I feel really dizzy…_ " Amitie said.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ally said. "You okay, Arle?"

"I've felt worse."

"What the hell was with that gem, Arle?" Amitie asked.

"I'm…I'm not sure. It's never done that before. Even though I've said that its effects are random, I have no idea what that was about."

"Aw, geez…"

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Huh? Is that…"

We looked at the door and saw Amira constantly banging on the door. Either looking frantic, pissed, or both.

Most likely none of the above.

"Geez, Raffina! Were you here the entire time?!"

"Huh? What are you talking about, Amira?"

"Lily and I have been trying to contact you for 6 hours. Everyone was starting to worry."

" **S-SIX HOURS?!** " We all shouted.

"Why is that a shock?"

"Because we were apparently knocked out for 6 hours and never realized it!"

"Really? Wow, that sucks. So, who's the new girl?"

"I-I'm Arle Nadja. I, uh…kinda came from a different world."

"A different world? Did being knocked out for 6 hours make you guys lose a few screws?"

" **N-No, you idiot!** " I yelled. "This actually happened. If you don't believe us, then go ask Lemres.

" _Ooh!_ An info talk from Lemres! Thanks a bunch, Sis!"

" _Ugh._ Whatever." I said with a facepalm.

"Sis?" Arle asked.

"This is my older sister."

"Hiya! Name's Amira Fielding! You said your name was Arle, right? Glad to see my baby sis getting actual friends instead of her talking to her reflection at home. Standing in front of the mirror in her underwear calling herself sexy and whatnot."

" **Y-You know about that?!** " I asked.

"Well, duh. I would often film you doing it. I've got multiple vids on my phone."

" **D-Delete those right now!** "

"Well, I could…for a 1,000 Credits."

" **Are you serious?! No way in hell I'm not giving you 1,000 Credits! You scamming piece of…** "

"Okay, then. Video stays. Thank you for doing business with me, Sis." Amira said with a cheeky-like smile.

" **Damn you, Amira!** "

"Is this normal?" I heard Arle ask Amitie.

"Yeah. Amira just loves teasing her baby sister."

"She ain't a baby no more with those tig ol' bitties." Ally said.

" **Sh-Shut up, Ally!** " I yelled at her.

"Hey, are we done yet? I'm going home." Lidelle said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah, so am I. See you guys tomorrow."

"Alright. See ya, Raffina." Amitie said.

We both then hugged one another and then gave each other a kiss before separating.

"Love you." I said.

"Love you, too." She said.

" _Lesbo love getting intense._ "

" **D-Don't you ever stop?!** " I yelled with a mild blush.

"If I did, who's going to tease you?"

" **I don't want to be teased, damnit!** "

"Where's the fun in that?"

" _Ugh._ " I sighed greatly as I facepalmed harder than I can remember.

And with 6 hours mysteriously gone from my life, it wasn't an easy thing for me to do.

* * *

The next morning wasn't all that different. I woke up, brushed my teeth, took a shower, changed my clothes, and was now heading downstairs to eat breakfast.

"Morning, everyone. What's for breakfast?"

…

…

"Uh…hello? Why are you two staring at me like that?" I asked Amira and Lily as they were oddly staring at me. And it was starting to creep me out.

"Uh…Sis. Weren't you just here?" Amira asked.

"How could I've been here when I just got out the shower? Maybe you're the one with the missing screws, Amira."

" **I-I'm not!** "

"It's rare to say this, Miss Raffina. But Miss Amira is right. You were here just a few minutes ago." Lily said.

"Wh-What? C-Come on, Lily. Not you, too. You guys stop with this joke. It's not funny."

"It's not funny because it's not a joke! We just saw you, Sis!" Amira said.

"You said that you were going to the Mini Gym to work on your fighting skills." Lily added.

"Really?"

 _I did plan on practicing my fighting moves today…_

" _Ugh._ Did that gem mess up my memory more than I thought I did?" I started rubbing my head.

"What gem?" Lily asked.

"This gem that belongs to a friend of mine named Arle. From what she said, it shoots lasers and the effects are weird and random. It did so yesterday and we were apparently knocked out for 6 hours."

"I found them all lying on the floor in the store. Looking confused as hell." Amira added.

"Huh. Well, maybe this gem your friend has really did have an effect on your…"

" _Hey, Lily. I'm thirsty. Can I get something to…yay, a visitor!_ "

I turned around and the three of us were looking at something that **ABSOLUTELY COULD NOT** be considered normal! Not by the **LONGEST** shot in this damn world!

"Wh-What in the world…" Lily said.

"H-Holy crap. I-Is that…" Amira said.

"It… **IT'S ME?!** " I shouted in pure and utter shock.

" _Huh? Hey, why does the visitor look a lot like me?_ " The other me asked while tilting her head.

The three of us were speechless. We didn't know what to say or what to do. We had no idea what was going on. And we were terrified.

 _ **Arle! What did that gem of yours do to me?!**_

* * *

 **Amitie's POV**

 _ **Arle! What did that gem of yours do to me?!**_

It was the next day. And Ally and I had woken up to something absolutely not normal. We were in the middle of moving over stuff from yesterday's instant ramen dinner…

…and that's when the weird things began to happen.

For one, Ally seemed to have gained these magical powers that center around stars, musical notes, and hearts of all things.

As for me…well, it seems that I've gotten…

"Telekinesis? You can't be serious."

"It's definitely that, Ami." Mom said to me. "Everything that's happened this morning clearly leads up to it. The trash moving away from you, the pillows hovering over your head, the massive migraine you have right now. It's telekinesis! I just know it!"

"Mom. Telekinesis isn't real. And even if it was, there's no way that I could've just suddenly learned it overnight."

"Uh…what's telekinesis?" Arle asked.

"It's a power that lets you move things… **WITH YOUR MIND!** " Mom said while wiggling her fingers all spooky-like.

"Mom. Stop." I said.

"That…That actually sounds like a cool power."

"But it's not real, Arle!"

"Then how do you explain the weird things that happened this morning?" Ally asked.

"What do you think? It clearly has something to do with Arle's Rubelcrack necklace. Whatever that gem did is probably still affecting me or something."

"Well then, fine. Let's go ask Akuma. He can probably figure out what happened."

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah, I guess."

 _ ***BZZZT***_

"Oh. It's a message from Raffina. Several of them, actually." I said as I looked at my phone.

"What did she say?"

" _Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap!_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Amitie! Please bring Arle to the museum_ _ **NOW**_ _!_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap!_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _It's a national emergency! A crisis! The birth of the end!_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Oh, crap! Oh, crap! Oh, crap!_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

"M-Multiple F-bombs." I started blushing a bit at the fact that Raffina had used the F word so many times in a single text. I mean…I know she swears often. But not to this extent.

"Yeah…I'm going to believe that this gem had an effect on her, too." Mom said. "Come on, girls. I'll take you. I wanna see this for myself."

"Thanks, Mom."

We headed out of the house and were entering Mom's car. While inside, and with Arle sitting next to me, she said this:

"H-Hey…guys. I-If the Rubelcrack is the cause for all this…I-I'm sorry."

"Arle. Don't worry about it. It's not your fault. After all, it's not the first time weird stuff has happened to us."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

…

…

"Uh…n-never mind. Just know that we'll figure this out in a jiffy. It's just a small problem, right?"

"Raffina's didn't sound small. I think we're in for some messed up stuff."

" **Ally, don't jinx it!** " I yelled at her.

"S-Sorry."

"Did Raffina say what exactly happened to her?" Arle asked.

"No, not really. I kept texting her. But so far, she hasn't returned any of them. Now I'm starting to get worried."

"I see…" Arle then looked at me for a second. "Hey, Amitie."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"You said you were "texting" her. What does "texting" mean, anyway?"

…

…

…

"U-Uh…I-I'll tell you later, Arle." I said with a huge sweatdrop.

Arle looked confused at first. But she soon got over it and agreed to the suggestion.

 _I need to get this girl a phone quick. Her obliviousness is scary._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **The now Rubelcrack Necklace has caused some strange effects for the girls. With Raffina's being the most perplexing. Is there a way to fix everything? Or at least, explain it?**

 **Time to ask your local demonic teddy bear!**

 **So, I have plans for a new story. But I can't really say much right now. I want to finish Friends with Enchantments first and that one's almost done. But I can say that it's a…revision, of sorts. You'll see what I mean when it comes out.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	25. Darkness & Doppelgangers

**Chapter 25 – Darkness & Doppelgangers**

 **Amitie's POV**

"Really, Mom? When was the last time you put gas in the car?"

"Uh…well…b-before we left Konoko City."

" **That long?!** " Ally and I shouted.

"I'm sorry, alright?! With how most of these places are a walking distance in this town, I haven't used the car in a while! Thus, I didn't remember that it was nearing empty by the time we got here. It should take a few minutes or so. I think."

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever. We're going into the store to look around. Call me when you're done."

"Fine. I got it."

With Mom forgetting that the car barely had any gas from the move here, we had to stop at the gas station on the way to the museum. Luckily, it was a part of one of those big-box store chains. So, there was a store for the three of us to look around while Mom filled up the car.

"Woah! So cool! What is this magical place?!"

It was also Arle's first time in a place like this. So, she was currently jumping around like a child in an indoor playground.

"It's called a superstore." I said. "You can pretty much get everything here. Food, clothes, electronics, toys, jewelry, tools. Everything's here."

"Woah! Does such a place truly exist?! I wanna explore it all!"

"We can do that. But you'll have to keep your voice down. People are staring at us like we're crazy."

"O-Oops. Sorry about that." Arle said while rubbing the back of her head.

"Hey! Guys!" We heard someone call out for us.

"Oh. Hey, Lidelle. Hey, Klug. What are you guys doing here?" I asked the duo.

"This store was holding a raffle in the electronics area. With the first 100 people winning a limited edition universal pro controller. It works with every console out there. New and old." Lidelle said.

"I see."

"Wait, you're into video games, Klug?" Ally asked.

"No. But Lidelle brought me along so that she can double her chances of getting one. Though through an extremely high amount of luck, we both got one."

"Luckiest day ever. _***giggle***_ " Lidelle said as she admired the controllers in her hands.

"Right. Well, good for you, Lidelle." I said.

 _Wait. Lidelle was with us when the Rubelcrack did all those weird things. Did she get an effect, as well?_

"So, who's the new girl?" Klug asked.

"That's the girl I told you about, remember?" Lidelle said to him. "The girl from a different world."

"Oh, yeah. I remember. You're…Arly?"

"Arle. Arle Nadja."

"Oh. My apologies. I am Klug Ryley. A friend and classmate of theirs."

"Nice to meet you, Klug."

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Lidelle asked.

"Can you believe it? Mom hasn't filled up the gas tank in her car since we left our hometown to come here." I said.

"I can believe it. With most places being a walking distance here."

"Yeah, but hasn't it been 5 months since you moved here? Melody hasn't driven since then?" Klug asked.

"Apparently, so."

"So, now we're just looking around here until she's done." Ally said.

"And Arle's excited about it. Right, Arle?"

…

…

"Arle?"

We looked around to see that Arle had disappeared.

"Aw, fiddlesticks! Looks like her excitement got the best of her."

"Ammy, look."

We looked over a few feet ahead of us to see Arle sprinting around the place. Getting excited at anything and everything that caught her eye.

"Aw, geez. **Arle!** "

" _Wow! Everything here is so amazing! This world has so many stuff that I've never seen before! It's so cool!_ "

" **Arle!** "

"Huh? Oh hey, guys! This place is so amazing! Everything here is so…so…psychedelic!"

 _We should probably tell her what psychedelic means…_

"Arle, we know you're excited and all, but you should really calm down before you end up…"

 ***BAM***

As Lidelle was about to finish her sentence, Arle did in fact end up bumping into someone, and both her and the boy she bumped into fell to the ground.

"…hitting someone." Lidelle finished her sentence with a facepalm.

"Geez, Arle! We told you to be careful!" I said as we ran up to her and the boy. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine." Arle replied with an embarrassed blush.

"Sorry, mister. I hope you're not hurt." I said to the boy.

"I am fine. But did you say that this girl was Arle?" He asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

" _ ***chuckle***_ So, you are here as well."

"H-Huh?"

For some reason, I had a bad feeling about this guy. He had a hood over his head, so we couldn't see his face. He was wearing all black. With a hoodie and long jeans but had white sneakers. He was truly suspicious. And apparently, I wasn't the only one with this feeling.

"Pardon me. But do you need something from us? Cause if not, then I suggest you get going." Klug said.

"Nothing personal. It's just you give off this weird feeling and it's making us uncomfortable." Lidelle explained.

"I see. Then let me _expose_ myself." The boy said.

 _W-Wait, what the hell?! Did he say "expose himself"?! The hell is this pervert going to do?!_

As the boy took his hood off and revealed his face, I noticed that Arle's face had lightened up with excitement.

"S… **Schezo!** " She yelled as she ran to hug the boy.

"Arle. I have found you at last! But you look…different."

"I should be saying that to you. You're not wearing any armor, for once."

"Unfortunately, my once perfect armor had disintegrated as I mysterious ended up here. So, I had to make do with whatever was here."

"Oh, wow. That sucks."

The rest of us looked over completely confused. This boy seemed really suspicious at first glance. But apparently, Arle knows him so well that she's able to hug the guy.

"Uh, Arle? Do you know this guy?" I asked.

"Oh, right. Sorry, everyone. I just got really excited. This is..."

"Greetings, acquaintances of Arle. I am Schezo Wegey. A dark wizard who possesses ancient magic and wielder of the Dark Sword."

"He's actually from the same world as me." Arle added.

" **W-Wait, what?! A-Are you for real?!** "

" **Another person from Arle's world?!** " Ally yelled in shock with me.

"Hmm…so, this really is another world. I had my suspicions of this." The boy now known as Schezo said.

"You did?" I asked.

"Indeed. I found it quite odd when a bunch of dark clouds started forming over Hamaji Forest. But when I went to investigate it, I was struck by a lightning bolt and fell unconscious. And when I came to, I had appeared in a dark cave."

"Wait…struck by lightning? Hey, didn't we saw lightning come out of the mirror before we found Arle?" Lidelle asked.

"Yeah, we did. I remember it, too." Ally said.

"A mirror? You're claiming that a mirror has brought me here?" Schezo asked.

"Yeah, it's really complicated." Arle said. "I can't really explain it, myself."

"We know a guy named Akuma that can easily explain it. Want to come along?" I asked.

"You do not mind? Then I must give thanks to you, miss…"

"Oh, right. My name's Amitie Rose."

"I'm Ally Nakano."

"My name's Lidelle Namanari."

"Mine's Klug Ryley."

"I see. I give thanks to you all."

"You don't have to thank us, uh…Schezo was it? We're just glad that Arle has someone from her world here. I bet it'll help her a lot." I said.

"I understand. So then, tell me. You must want a reward, right? I'm sure my _big sword_ can _give it to you_."

" _B-Big s-sword?! G-Give it to us?!_ " Ally, Lidelle, and I frighteningly said. We were blushing an extreme shade of red after hearing what this pervert just said.

"H-Hey, bud! Where are we going with this?!" Klug asked.

"Why are you getting worked up for?" Schezo said as he pulled out…an actual sword.

"O-Oh. Y-You actually have a sword. _Thank God._ " I said with a sigh of relief.

"By what did you think I meant?"

"U-Um…"

"H-Hey, Schezo." Arle said. Saving me from having to explain my dirty thought. "If we're going to be stuck here, you really need to work on your speech."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I may be able to understand what you really mean. But people in this world won't."

"Oh. I get it now." Schezo said. Then he turned back to us. "I apologize for making you all uncomfortable. This speech thing is a weird habit of mine that I can't seem to break."

"I-It's okay, Schezo. As long as you're aware of it." I said.

"And besides. For all we know, your _sword_ could really be _big_." Ally said.

"Uh…" Schezo didn't know how to respond to that.

"Just ignore her. She's a perverted idiot." Lidelle said.

"O-Okay then."

 _ ***BZZZT***_

"Hm? Hey, Mom's done filling up. She's waiting for us outside." I said while I looked at my phone.

"You want a ride, Lidelle? We're heading for the museum." Ally said.

"Oh. So, you're going to ask Akuma about what happened with the gem too, huh?"

"Yeah. We believe that we've gotten weird effects from it. I have these magical powers that center around stars, musical notes, and hearts. And Ammy has telekinesis!"

"Ally, for the last time. **Telekinesis is not real!** " I yelled.

"You don't know that. Why do you think we're going to see Akuma?"

"Y-Yeah, but…"

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Amitie! Please hurry up!_ "

 _Geez. Another panicked message from Raffina? Just what happened to her?_

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. Let's just go already." Then I remembered something. "Hey, Klug. Can you bring Schezo to the museum? We don't have much room."

"Sure, I don't mind. I actually want to know what gem and effects you girls are talking about. I'll show you the way, Schezo."

"Many thanks. But may I ask one question, Amitie? What is that in your hands?"

"It's my phone."

"What is this "phone" that you speak of?"

" **Huh?! You've never heard of a phone, either?!** "

"I'm afraid not."

"You're not alone, Schezo. I don't know what this "phone" thing is, either." Arle said.

" _Get really real..._ " I said with a hard and long facepalm.

* * *

 **Arle's POV**

With Klug walking with Schezo, the rest of us met up with Melody and went back to this museum place from 3 days ago. I still get unnerving memories of this place. But like I said, I've only been here for 3 days.

I'm told that it's normal for someone like me to have such thoughts. But I honestly don't want them anymore.

They just make me sadder than I'm already am.

"Wow. So, you actually ran into someone from your world, Arle?" Melody asked me.

"Yeah. His name's Schezo. He can be a little weird with his speech sometimes. But he's a good friend, nonetheless."

"Interesting."

"Yeah, really interesting." Amitie said. "Because it could mean that my theory was right. And that it wasn't just Arle that was brought here by the Dimensional Mirror."

"There were 6 of them, right? So, if Schezo counts as one, who are the other five? Do you know, Arle?" Lidelle asked.

"Hmm…no, not really. I was only with Carby when the whole thing began happening. I'm glad Schezo's here. But I have no idea who else could've been brought here. As there are a lot of people in my world, as well."

"I see. Well, maybe Akuma can figure it out."

"Yeah, hopefully." Ally said.

"You know. You guys seem to rely on this Akuma guy a lot. Is he that knowledgeable?"

"Well, with him being a demon, he's seen a bunch of stuff. So, it explains why he knows a lot. He also documents them in writing for people to see. Both here and in Hell." Lidelle said.

"Huh." Was all I said.

 _Gee. Lidelle is really knowledgeable about Hell. Which, I guess, makes sense. Since she's the Demonic Princess and all._

 _But with all that, she really reminds me of…Satan. In a way._

 _ ***internal thinking***_

"Arle…Arle!"

"H-Huh?! Wh-What?!"

"Sorry for startling you. But we arrived at the museum." Amitie said to me.

"O-Oh, really? Alright, I'm coming." I said. Not wanting to keep them waiting much longer.

* * *

Going inside, I was really amazed by all the stuff that was around. So many statues and odd things being displayed. Even a few art pieces. Wonder who drew them?

"This place is…bigger than I last remember it." I said.

"Huh? You've been here three days in a row and you're now taking a look at it?" Amitie asked.

"W-Well, I…I-I was scared. Th-The other two times. Looking at this stuff never came to mind, you know?"

"Yeah. I guess that makes sense…"

 ***BONK***

"Ow! What the hell was that?!"

We looked on the floor next to Amitie's feet and saw that it was a book that had hit her in the head.

"Geez. I've heard of _throw the book at someone_ , but I didn't think people took it literally." Ally said.

"This has to be the telekinesis, Ami!" Melody said.

" _Mom!_ "

"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Lidelle asked.

"Well…"

"Geez! There's my book!" Amitie was then interrupted when Klug and Schezo came in. With Klug grabbing the book that was next to Amitie's feet.

"This is your book, Klug?" Amitie asked.

"Yeah. We were walking over here when it just flew out of my hand and sped down the street. I was lucky that it ended up here…but I'm not sure why it hit you in the head."

"It's because of her telekinesis."

" **Mom!** " Amitie yelled at Melody.

"Telekinesis? That's not even real."

" **Thank you! Finally, someone with common sense!** "

"Hey!" Melody felt insulted.

"Oh come on, Klug." Lidelle said. "Telekinesis is totally real. Moving stuff with your mind is a whole new level of badass!"

" **Thank you! Finally, someone with an imagination!** "

"Hey!" Amitie felt insulted.

"Hey, Arle. What is this telekinesis they keep talking about?" Schezo asked me.

"From what I've been told, it's a power that lets you move stuff with your mind."

"What? Such a thing exists?"

"Apparently, so. I mean, this is a different world."

"Hmm…you make a good point."

 _ ***BZZZT***_

 _ ***BZZZT***_

 _ ***BZZZT* *BZZZT* *BZZZT***_

"Calm down, will you? _***sigh***_ Let's hurry up before Raffina fills up my inbox." Amitie said.

And so with that said, we followed Amitie to the back of this place. Where this Akuma guy is usually at. When we got there, we saw Raffina, her sister Amira, and another woman that I don't know.

"Hey, Raffi…"

" **Arle! You've got some explaining to do!** "

" _Yeah, sure. Ignore your girlfriend, why don't you._ " Amitie grumbled to herself.

"H-Huh? Me? Wh-What do I need to explain?" I asked.

" **What else?! That damn gem of yours did something to me that I can never forget!** "

"Gem? What gem?" Schezo asked.

"I-I'll tell you late…"

" **Wait, who the hell are you?! What business do you have with all of this?!** "

"I am Schezo Wegey. Dark wizard, wielder of the Dark Sword, and seeker of power. If this gem of which you speak truly has such power, then it is my business as well. Your _privates_ are now mine for the taking!"

…

…

…

…

" _Pfft!_ **BAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** " Amira then broke down laughing after a long moment of uncomfortable silence.

"What? Why are you laughing?"

 _ ***sigh***_ _Goddamnit, Schezo._

"Arle…who the hell is this pervert?" Raffina asked me.

"H-His name's Schezo. He's a friend from my world and…wh-what he said about your privates isn't true at all. H-He just has this weird speech thing."

"Listen, you! I suggest that you cease your laughter! Unless you want my _big blade inside you_!"

" **Baahahahaha! Oh, my God! This guy's hilarious!** "

" _Weird_ is an understatement." Raffina said to me.

"You're not the first person to say that…"

"Okay, now." The woman that I don't know said. "As much as I would love to smack both of these two idiots for their perverted thoughts…"

"B-But I'm not…"Schezo tried to defend himself. But was ignored.

"…But we've got more important matters to take care of. Most importantly, the mystery of this gem that keeps being talked about."

"Lily. You came here, too?" Melody asked.

"Yes, I did. Something weird has happened to Miss Raffina and we came by to see if Mister Akuma can help us."

"Really? What happened to you, Raffina?" Amitie asked.

"What? Can't you see for yourself?"

"Uh…see what?"

Raffina looked behind her and then gave herself a rather hard facepalm. "Wh-Where did she go?!"

"I told you to watch her, Miss Amira." The woman named Lily said.

"What? Me? I'm not a babysitter. Isn't that what you're used to?"

"Oh? So, is _**that**_ how you think of me?" Lily was slowly getting pissed.

"W-Wait, Lily! Th-That's not what I meant!"

"Lily, hold on." Raffina said. "You can kick Amira's ass later."

" **Why MY ass?!** "

"Right now, we need to find her before she causes…"

 ***BOOM***

 ***CRASH***

 ***SHATTER***

"Geez. What was that?" Lidelle asked.

We all went to where this noise came from and ended up back near the entrance. Where we saw something that was completely unnerving.

"N-No way…" Ally said.

"I-Is that…" Klug asked.

"I-It can't be…" Lidelle said.

"Wh-What the hell…" Amitie asked.

" **Raffina! I've told you NOT to touch that, KUMA!** "

" _Oh. You said to NOT touch it. Sorry, Akuma. I got confused._ "

"How was that something to get confused over, **KUMA!** "

" _Well, it's just…hey, what's this thing?_ "

 ***BOOM***

 ***CRASH***

 ***SHATTER***

" **Raffina!** "

" _Oops. Sorry. I forgot._ _ ***giggle***_ "

"What's gotten into you, Raffina?" Yu asked. "You're acting like an idiot."

"She probably went stupid." Rei added.

" _Hey! You guys are mean! Stop being mean, meanies!_ "

"M-Meanies?"

"You're really acting not like yourself, Raffina, **KUMA!** "

"That's because that isn't me." Raffina said. Gaining the trio's attention and blowing their minds.

" **K-KUMA?!** "

" **W-Wait, what the hell?! TWO Raffinas?!** " Yu asked.

"Freaky." Rei said.

" _Oh! Hiya, Sis! Hiya, Lily! Hiya, Other Me! You finished yet?_ "

" **R-Raffina, what is going on?! Why are there two of you?!** " Amitie asked her girlfriend.

"I was going to ask Arle the same thing."

Everyone then turned to face me with looks of total confusion and even a little fear from some. While I looked back at them all with the same feelings. Only mine were greater than theirs. And I honestly wanted to run away.

 _I can't seem to escape trouble! Not even in this world!_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Arle reunites with Schezo and couldn't be any happier that she has someone from her world here with her. But all that joy is soon replaced with nervousness. As she (mostly notably her Rubelcrack Necklace) is being blamed for many strange things the other girls are experiencing. Including a second Raffina.**

 **Now for those of you who've read Dream Land Invasion…you probably know who this is. I'm only adding her in because I'm taking part of The First Date and using it here. With changes, of course.**

 **And of course…she's in that story. So, that's another reason.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading. Later.**


	26. The Other Raffina

**Chapter 26 – The Other Raffina**

 **Raffina's POV**

 ***EARLIER THE SAME MORNING…***

"Wh-What in the world…" Lily said.

"H-Holy crap. I-Is that…" Amira said.

"It… **IT'S ME?!** " I shouted in pure and utter shock.

" _Huh? Hey, why does the visitor look a lot like me?_ " The other me asked while tilting her head.

We didn't know what to say or do at this point. There was **ANOTHER ME** standing right in front of us! A clone! A copy! It's almost like I suddenly had a twin sister magically appear out of nowhere or something!

 _ **What the hell is going on?!**_

" _Why is everyone staring at me so weirdly? You guys are really scaring me. Pl-Please stop._ " The other me looked like she was about to cry.

"H-Hey! H-Hold on!" I said. "G-Guys, help me out here!"

"U-Uh…h-hey…S-Sis. There's no need to cry." Amira said.

"Th-That's right." Lily added. "W-We just, um…saw something _**really**_ amazing just now. Y-Yeah, that's it."

" _ ***sniff***_ _S-Something amazing?_ "

"Y-Yep." I continued. "And that amazing thing is you. Feels special, right?"

…

…

" _Y-Yeah. It does. Feels really special! I'm an amazingly special girl! Oh, Da-Ti-La!_ "

"Da-Ti-La?" Lily asked.

"It's Raffina's stupid laugh, but backwards." Amira said.

" **Hey! It's not stupid!** "

" _ **Hey! It's not stupid!**_ "

I then looked at the other me and she looked at me. We each then gained a smile on our faces.

 _Or it is my face?_

"Well, at least someone agrees."

" _ ***giggle***_ _Yeah! Our laugh isn't stupid at all! It's pretty ******* awesome!_ "

"Wh-Whoa."

"Well, she uses vulgar language. This is definitely you, Miss Raffina." Lily said.

"Th-That's not my only trait, Lily!"

" _Huh? You mean your name's Raffina, too?_ " I asked me.

"Uh, yeah. I'm **THE** Raffina Fielding. You…I'm not sure what you are."

" _I'm Raffina Fielding. Why do you have my name?_ "

"It's not yours. It's mine."

" _No! It's my name! Daddy gave it to me, damnit!_ "

"No! It's my name! Daddy gave it to me, damnit!"

" _ **Liar! He's my Daddy!**_ "

" **Screw you! He's my Daddy!** "

" **Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy…** "

" _ **Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Daddy…**_ "

…

…

" **LILY!** "

" _ **LILY!**_ "

" _Son of a…_ " Lily facepalmed hard at how we were acting. "M-Miss Raffina. You said that your friend's gem had some strange effect on you, right? Maybe we should ask her what has happened."

"Huh. Great idea, Lily. I'll text Amitie to bring Arle to the museum. We might need Akuma's help, too."

" _Hey, wait! How the hell do you know Amitie?! Did you steal my girlfriend, you big bully?!_ "

"I'm sorry. _**YOUR**_ girlfriend?! Amitie is my girlfriend, you fake ass copy!"

" _You're the fake ass copy, you lying little *****!_ "

" **Excuse me?! I'll punch your ******* face in for saying that!** "

" _ **Not if I punch you first!**_ "

" **Aw, hell yeah! Sis Fight!** " Amira cheered.

"Please shut up, Miss Amira." Lily retorted with another facepalm.

* * *

 ***PRESENT TIME***

"…And that's what happened so far." I said as I was explaining my abnormal morning to the others.

"Wowie…" Amitie said.

"So, a second you just appeared out of nowhere? That's freaky." Lidelle said.

"Truly not something you would normally expect." Klug said.

" _ ***snicker***_ You call your dad "Daddy"? You're not too old?" Ally asked.

" **Sh-Shut the hell up, Ally!** " I yelled with a mild blush on my face.

"Hm…this sounds peculiar indeed, **KUMA!** " Akuma said. "A gem that cloned Raffina. This is surely something not normal in this world, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

"And not only that, it gave Ami telekinesis." Melody added.

"Mom, when are you going to drop this stupid…"

" **Waaaa!** "

 ***CRASH***

We watched as Lidelle had suddenly started moving on her own and crashed into Akuma's personal bookshelf. The books falling and repeatedly hitting her in the head.

" _Ow…_ " She whined.

"Holy crap! You weren't even near her!" Amira yelled.

"D-Damn. M-Maybe I do have telekinesis…" Amitie said while staring at her hands.

"Told you." Melody gloated.

"Alright, everyone." Akuma said. "We should focus on one problem at a time, **KUMA!** First. What is this gem that you speak off, **KUMA!** "

"Arle's Rubelcrack Gem. She wears it around her neck to remember her friend by."

"Rubelcrack? Is that not the gem Carbuncle usually bears on his head?" Schezo asked Arle. "Where is he, anyway?"

Arle went dead silent as she lowered her head and started dripping tears of sadness from her eyes. The horrid memory of learning what happened to her friend had come back to her. And she didn't like it one damn bit.

"C-Carbuncle…didn't make it." Amitie said.

"Huh? Didn't make it?"

"As in…he's gone." Ally added.

Schezo didn't get it at first. But it didn't long for him to figure it out. And like the rest of us, he felt really bad for bringing it up.

"A-Arle. I-I deeply apologize…"

" _ ***sniff***_ _N-No. I-It's fine. A-As long as I have this gem around my neck…he's always still with me._ "

"I see. May he rest in peace."

"A-Anyway…wh-whatever the effect the Rubelcrack has had on you all, I-I'm sorry for everything. I should've warned you sooner."

"Arle, it's okay." Amitie said to her. "As long as we're still breathing, we'll deal with these side-effects right, guys?"

"Damn straight. I like having these powers. It's like I'm a powerful mage or something." Ally said.

"You gained magical powers?" Klug asked.

"Sure did. Watch. **Emission!** " With one hand, Ally had created a single big yellow star. It was just as bright as the ones you see in the sky. But it didn't blind us at all.

"Wow. Impressive, Ally."

"Hey, how come you're going pervertedly crazy for power like you always do?" Arle asked Schezo.

"Okay, one. Cease referring to me as a pervert! And two, I'm just not interested in this power."

"Why, because it's not dark magic?"

"No. Because it's too girly."

" **Too girly?! What the hell do you…woah…woah…GAH!** "

 ***BOOM***

While being insulted by Schezo, Ally had lost control of her star and it flew out of her hand…

…Right where Lidelle was still laying from the telekinesis incident.

"S…Sorry, Lidelle."

" _I-It's fine. I'm okay_ _ ***cough***_ _…I-I think._ " Lidelle quietly said from under the book pile.

"Well, maybe you two can get used to the side-effects." I said. "But I don't know how am I supposed to deal with this copy. Especially when she thinks she's me."

" _I am me! You stole Daddy and Amitie away from me!_ " The other me yelled.

"As if, you damn little…"

"Not again, you two." Lily said.

"Wait, she knows who I am?" Amitie asked.

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah. For some reason, she believes that you're _**her**_ girlfriend and not mine. The nerve of her, right?"

"Should you really be saying such words right next to her?" Schezo asked.

"W-Well, she called me a ***** this morning. So it's fair game, right?"

"Uh…"

"Raffina. You swear too much." Amitie said with a facepalm.

"Hmm…so they both share Raffina's memories, **KUMA!** And based on my experience with her, the copy is definitely not as smart as the original, **KUMA!** "

" _Ha! He called you a copy!_ "

"He's referring to you!" I yelled at myself.

" _Bull****! He's definitely referring to you!_ "

" _You're the one that's bull****, you worthless piece of…_ "

" **KUMA! That's enough! I will NOT tolerate such behavior in this building! Act right or get out, MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

"Sorry, Akuma."

" _Sorry, Akuma._ " We both said in shame.

" ***clears throat*** Now. Based on what I have observed, it has seems that the only thing that was passed over from the original to the copy is their memories. Their emotions and personality are nowhere near the same. In those categories, they are two different people, **KUMA!** "

"So. In a way…they're twin sisters?" Amira asked.

"Mostly related to fraternal and not identical. But yes, it does seem to be that way, **KUMA!** "

"Huh. Wow."

"You seem really calm about this, Miss Amira." Lily said. "Is something wrong?"

"N-Nothing wrong. It's just…I-I always wanted like another sister of sorts."

"R-Really?!" Lily and I asked.

"I may tease you a lot, Sis. But that's because I enjoy having you as my little sister. And even though this is just another you, it's close enough to count as a second sister. I'm actually happy that this happened."

 _S-Seriously?! Sh-She happy that I got cloned?! If it means that she'll have…a second sister, she's okay with it?_

 _This is a side of Amira that I rarely see. I think the last time was…was when she came to get me from Nahe Forest._

 _She really did care for me…_

"W-Woah. A-Amira, I…"

" _ **Big Sis! I love you, too! Let's be sisters forever!**_ " My copy yelled in my ear.

"Oh, my God! Do you **EVER** take a hint?!"

" _Take a hint? Why are acting like we're in Jeopardy? You really are a weird copy._ "

" **I'M NOT THE COPY! YOU ARE!** "

" _Ha. You wish. Meanies don't get to be the real thing! Oh, Da-Ti-La!_ "

" _ **Augh!**_ **It's La-Ti-Da! Not Da-Ti-La!** "

"Both sound stupid." Everyone said.

" **Shut up!** "

" _ **Shut up!**_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Two Raffinas, huh? Wonder how this is going to work." Amitie said.

"Don't worry, Amitie. Everything will be fine. I got you and you got me. We'll deal with our problems together. Like we should."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Raffi-"

" **WHOA WHOA WHOA!** "

 ***CRASH***

" _Are you freaking kidding me…_ "

With her new telekinesis powers, Amitie had pushed me (without even touching me) all the way back to where the destroyed bookshelf. And I landed on top of a very much in pain Lidelle.

"S…Sorry, Lidelle." We both said.

 _This is going to be one insane summer break…_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Another Raffina. Created by the Rubelcrack Gem around Arle's neck. Not much the original Raffina can do about it. So, now she must learn to live (and at least get along) with this other her. Easier said than done.**

 **I'm not sure if I'm gonna go the "Raina Route" in this story. Well, I mean…it's still Raina. But I might change her personality a little to make her somewhat different from the "really nice idiot" she's known as in other stories. Definitely changing her looks, though. She won't be floating or have those orange markings all over her body. It's unnecessary here.**

 **So, um…this was recently brought to my attention. Apparently, there's a story on AO3's Puyo Puyo worklist…and it's extremely similar to Love of Puyo Puyo.**

 **Apparently, it's some kind of homage to the characters and plotlines from this story and others like** **Silvana, From Clone to Clown.**

 **I'm not exactly mad (well, I was. But then I saw the extra notes that were either added at some point today or that I just completely missed.) but I just** _ **really**_ **wish this person would've asked first. Had me think thinking someone actually stole my idea that I worked on for a year and a half at this point.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	27. Telekinesis Training

**Chapter 27 – Telekinesis Training**

 **Amitie's POV**

The next day, I was in the park with Klug. Before we went home, he had offered to help me out with gaining control of my new telekinesis powers (yes, I've finally accepted it). And right now, we were doing some simple training.

Although, I wish it really was simple. Because in reality…

" _Tch. Grr…I…I…_ _ **Gaaah!**_ **It hurts! My head freaking hurts!** "

"Well, at least you got the can off the ground this time." Klug said he was writing in a notepad. "Need another aspirin?"

" _ **Yes, please!**_ " I yelled in sweet relive as I grabbed the bottle of Tylenol from Klug's hands.

"Still, though. I can't believe telekinesis is actually real. The elusive sixth sense. People have been trying to prove its existence for centuries but to no avail. And yet…here we, a couple of teenagers, testing its true power."

"I still find it weird that I had gained such a power. I was just a normal girl back in my hometown. Before all of this happened."

"By the way…this hometown of yours. Konoko Valley, was it?"

"Yeah, that's it. It's a couple of miles southeast of Primp. The size of it is bigger than here. But it's nowhere as big as Suzuran City. I hear that place is huge."

"I've never been there myself. But it's true. Suzuran is often known as a freaking metropolis."

"I always wanted to go there. Just to see what it's like, you know. But with a 16-year-old girl like me, I really don't have a reason to go there. I'm basically stuck."

"Huh? You need an excuse?" Klug looked confused.

"Well, like you said. Suzuran is a freaking metropolis. There's going to be adults with business suits and other kids with school uniforms. A person like me would stick out like an overweight fat guy at a Whole Foods."

"Th-That's a…weird analogy. But okay." Klug said with a sweatdrop.

" _ ***sigh***_ Ah, well. My headache's gone now. Let's continue with my telekinesis training!"

"Well, someone's eager about this now."

" _Hehhehhehheh._ " I rubbed the back of my head in minor embarrassment.

* * *

A couple of hours went by and I feel like I've improved a little with this new telekinesis power. I'm able to lift things up to my head now. But that's about it. Moving things is still a long ways for me. But it's a start.

" _Ugh. I think I overdid it this time. Hey, pass me the aspirin._ "

"This is the last one. So, we should probably stop for today."

" _Wowie. It's been a while since I've worked this hard. I'm beat._ "

" _ ***chuckle***_ So, I see."

"Huh?"

The two of us looked up to see Lemres walking up to us. Carrying a weird bag over his shoulder.

"Ah. Lemres. What brings a powerful magic-user like you around this place?" Klug asked.

"Nothing much. Just running a quick little errand. What are you two doing?"

"I was just helping Amitie here take control of her new power. As a way to offer my services."

"I see. Well, that's very nice of you, Klug."

"Thank you, Lemres. A compliment from you will surely not go to waste. _***chuckle***_ "

 _Geez. What a suck-up._

"So what kind of errand were you on, Lemres?" I asked.

"I actually just came back from Suzuran City."

"Huh?! You were in Suzuran?!" We both asked.

"For what?!" Klug asked.

"I was making a delivery to the new amusement park that's opening in a few days. They're preparing for a grand opening celebration."

"A grand opening celebration? For a new amusement park? Neat-o! I so wanna go!" I cheered.

"But can you afford such a thing?" Klug asked me.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'm looking at the website now. Ticket prices are 1500 credits each."

" **F-Fifteen hundred credits?! Each?! Who the hell has that kind of money?!** "

"Well, Raffina does. But you how she's trying to ease her spending nowadays."

" _ ***sigh***_ Damnit, you're right. No way she'll pay that much for a single ticket. Let alone for all of us."

"Hmm…well, I'm sure you'll go someday." Lemres said. "Maybe when the prices become cheaper."

"Yeah, I guess."

 _ ***BZZZT***_

I then looked at my phone to see that I got a message from Raffina. Kinda lucky since we were just talking about her.

"Hey, guys. I'm gonna go. Raffina wants to meet up."

"Alright." Klug said.

"See you around, Amitie." Lemres said with a tip of his hat.

I then started making my way to the plaza where Raffina wants to meet up. I would do it quickly. Since I'm going to see my girlfriend and all.

But my migraine is starting to come back. And it's hurting like extreme hell right now.

 _ ***whine***_ _I wish I had more aspirin…_

* * *

"So, you were with Klug practicing your telekinesis?" Raffina asked me once we met up at a local fast-food restaurant.

"Yeah. He offered to help me out with controlling it. I'm guessing it's just to learn more about it. Since he didn't believe in its existence before."

"Didn't you not believe in its existence before? So, it kinda makes you both total hypocrites."

"I can do without the insults, you know." I retorted.

" _ ***giggle***_ Sorry, Amitie."

"So, how's your copy doing for you?"

Raffina sighed in anger once I had brought up the situation she was currently in.

"That bad?"

"Four words, girl. Pain. In. The. Ass!"

"What did she do?"

"Everything I do! It's so annoying! She claims my room, my clothes, my bed, and she copies everything I do! And when I tell her to stop, she cries like a little *****! It's so goddamn irritating!"

"You do realize that you basically just called yourself a *****, right?" I asked her.

…

…

…

…

"Sh-Shut up!" Raffina began to blush once she realized it herself.

"Well, according to both Arle and Akuma, there's no way to reverse the effects of the Rubelcrack. So, you'll just have to suck it up."

" _Will you suck it up with me?_ " Raffina asked while hugging me and staring at my face.

"No. But I will tell you that you suck at using puppy-dog eyes."

"Tch. M-Meanie."

I giggled at Raffina's pouting attitude. I don't know if it's the fact that she's a rich girl or something, but she's at her cutest when she's pissed off.

N-Not when she's spitting out curse words. But you get the idea.

"Gah! Confound it!"

"Hey, isn't that Schezo over there?" I asked as we heard someone yelling to themselves.

"You mean the boy who wanted my privates?"

"He didn't actually mean that."

"Yeah, but still…"

"Hey, Schezo!" I called out to him. He soon recognized us and came over.

"Ah. Amitie and Raffina, was it? How do you fare today?"

"We're fine. But you looked rather agitated just now."

"I am currently looking for the place where I had first arrived in this world. As I would like to make it my place of rest. My memory of it is rather poor. So I do not remember it's location too well."

" _Oh. I get it now._ " Raffina said with a cheeky smile. "You're lost."

" **Tch! I-I am not lost!** **I am a dark wizard that has traveled far and wide!** _ **Claiming possession**_ **of those who come** _ **within my grasps**_ **! Someone like me does not get lost when my goal is to** _ **take every person for myself!**_ "

" **Oh, my God! You freaking pervert!** " A random girl yelled as she was walking by our table. Then ran away with a huge blush on her face. Possibly a mix of fear and embarrassment.

"W-Wait! Y-You misunderstand! Do not twist my words!" Schezo begged. But the girl was already long gone.

" _ ***giggle***_ _Amira's right. This boy is funny._ " Raffina whispered to me.

" _Raffina…_ " I replied with a sweatdrop.

" _ ***sigh***_ At this rate, I'll have that accursed title once more." Schezo said with an exasperated look.

 _Accursed title? How long has he been doing this?_

"A-Anyway, Schezo. Do you remember anything about what this area might be?"

"Well…I remember it being _dark_ and _moist_. A little _slippery_ , as well. And it was rather _tight_ in some areas. Now that I think about it, it's starting to sound like a…"

" **OH, GOD!** " We both shouted in a panic.

"…Like a cave."

…

…

"O-Oh. A-A cave. Th-That makes sense." I stuttered with a blush slowly fading away.

"What did you two think I was going to say?"

"N-Nothing perverted, if that's what you're thinking!" Raffina yelled.

"I wasn't."

"O-Oh. R-Right."

"A-Anyway, Schezo." I spoke up. "I think there's a cave down in Nahe Forest. We can take you there and see if it looks familiar."

"Many thanks, you two. I do wish I can give you some kind of reward, though."

"It's fine. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Very well. I guess my _big sword_ can _give one to you_ some other time."

"Uh…"

" _ ***shriek***_ **P-P-P-P-Pervert!** " Other girls in the restaurant started to panic once Schezo stopped talking.

"Aw, geez. We better get out of here before they call the cops on Schezo."

"Cops? What are these cops? Are they a foe I must take down?" Schezo asked.

" **Never mind that! Just come on!** " Raffina yelled as she grabbed Schezo's arm and we rushed out of the restaurant. Often making sure that are no angry boyfriends chasing after us.

 _Get real. Schezo is not a normal pervert…_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Other than Amitie practicing her telekinesis, nothing really happens here. It's basically a filler chapter. They'll be a lot of those in the Tsu arc of the story (what I'm calling it now). Just a heads up.**

 **Speaking of which, there's going to be one more filler chapter. Then it'll be the First Date act of the story. Which should contain at least 3 chapters. If not more.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	28. Arle's New Outfit

**Chapter 28 – Arle's New Outfit**

 **Arle's POV**

"Hey, Lidelle. I've been wondering."

"What's wrong, Arle?"

"N-Nothing bad. It's just…that day. When my Rubelcrack Necklace was acting up. It gave Amitie telekinesis, Ally magical powers, cloned Raffina…what did it do to you?"

"Oh, that? It didn't affect me at all."

" **H-Huh?! H-How?!** "

"Well…I meant to tell you this earlier, but I'm the Demonic Princess of Hell."

…

…

" **You're WHAT?!** " My was blown to pieces by what this girl had just told me.

"I don't look like it, right? Well, it's true. I'm royalty in the world of Hell. Quite famous, too."

" _Holy crap…_ " I whispered in shock.

 _Maybe she is related to Satan…_

Lidelle had invited me to walk around town with her. Mainly as a way to get used to this world now that I 100% know that I'm stuck here forever.

I'm slowly getting used to that fact. But it should help a little more knowing that Schezo and five other people from home are here with me. Problem is…who are the other five? I really hope none of them are the bad people.

This world will lose their sanity if Satan or Mamono end up here.

"So, how big exactly is this world anyway?" I asked.

"Well…this area is basically three different cities closely connected to each other. There's Primp Town, a small town with not that many people. Konoko Valley, a town bigger and more populated than Primp but is still seen as a small town. And then there's Suzuran City. The big metropolis of them all. Primp and Konoko usually follow by that city's guidelines. And thus, the three pretty much trade and share everything."

"Wow. That's pretty impressive. Almost sounds as big as my world."

"Well, if you combine the sizes of them all, it would seem rather big. Although to the people living here, Primp is a big enough place."

"What's here to do?"

"Down south is a beach named Moguru Bay. And east from there are the Arca Ruins."

" _Ooh…_ " I was amazed.

"Then we have the Primp Crossroads. Which is littered with signs that most of them take you absolutely nowhere. Some of them don't make any sense, to begin with."

" _Woah…_ " I was astonished.

"Then there's Nahe Forest. I'm sure you know about that already. And finally is where we are now. Primp Plaza. It's where all the big things happen. Tons of restaurants and stores, too. Did I explain it all alright?"

"Mmmhm. I got it all. Might be a while before I memorize them, though."

"Take your time. No one's rushing you."

"Thanks, Lidelle."

It honestly felt reassuring that I have so many people helping me out with this crazy experience. To think I believed that they were all against me…when in reality, they just wanted to be my friends. I haven't really had a group of friends since…

…

…

Well…since ever. Now that I think about it. Was I super lonely most of my life and never noticed until now? Did Carby not count as a best friend?

 _My, God. I surly hope not._

"So where are we going, Lidelle?" I asked.

"Well, I have to go the the local clothing store. My mother is making me change this shirt I got on."

"I see…" I said with a sweatdrop.

 _That's not even a shirt! I can partially see her bra!_

"Clothing store, huh? I wonder…" I started thinking to myself.

"You think of getting some clothes, Arle?"

"Well…I-I don't know. Should I?"

"Well, you've been wearing Amitie's clothes ever since you got here. Still shocked that her bras can fit you. Who would've guessed?"

" **C-Can we please not talk about my small breasts, please?!** " I started to blush from embarrassment.

"Fine, fine. Anyway, I'm sure Mr. Oshare will let you try a few on. He's a real fashion expert. Not what you would expect for a skeleton."

"W-Wait, he's a skeleton?"

"Yeah."

"And no one seems to care?"

"What? You said that there's a fair amount of crazies in your world."

 _She's not wrong about that…_

"And besides. You already met Akuma and he's not a human. Neither are Yu and Rei."

"Okay, I get it. I shouldn't judge. But I'm kinda worried about the skeleton shopkeeper. Won't he smell?"

"Nah. He's too much of a gay skeleton to let himself stink like that."

…

…

 _Wait…what the hell?_

* * *

We soon reached a building that Lidelle said was the clothing store. To be frank, I was still nervous about meeting this skeleton. Especially with what Lidelle had told me about him.

But surely he can't be as weird as the shopkeepers I knew back home, right?

…

…

 _Right?_

"Hello? Mr. Oshare?" Lidelle called out.

"You called? Oh, Lidelle. What brings you here?" Then right in front of me, I caught sight of the fashion expert skeleton I've heard so much about. And I can see why people believe that about him.

His outfit consisted of a blue & pink tailcoat/top hat combo. He also had tiny orange glasses and…h-he seemed to be missing an eye.

I-I mean, yeah. He's technically dead. But it's still creepy.

"I just came to find a new shirt to wear. Mother, Raffina, and pretty much everyone else doesn't think it looks right on me."

"What? That's preposterous! You look totally psychedelic in that shirt!"

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you, Mr. Oshare. I'm glad someone agrees."

 _But it's not a shirt!_

"Oh? And I see you've brought a friend. Who's this little lovely young woman?"

 _Lovely young woman?_ _ ***giggle***_ _W-Wow, this skeleton sure knows his way with words._

"My name is Arle Nadja. Nice to meet you."

"I'm sure you've heard of her." Lidelle said. "She's the girl who came from a different world."

" _Ohhoho!_ Oh, yes. I have heard of her. In fact, I was hoping she would come by here soon."

"Really? You were?" We both asked.

"Well, of course. With you coming from a different world, you must've left all of your clothes there. Am I right?"

"Oh, yeah. That is the case. I've been borrowing clothes from Amitie ever since I came here."

 _Even her bras. Much to her dismay._

"I see. Well, tell you what, Miss Nadja. I'll help you pick out the most psychedelic outfit in all of this world! You'll look so totally cool that It'll be my greatest work yet! _Ohhoho!_ "

"W-Wow. Thank you, Mr. Oshare. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. By the way, you don't have to be so formal. Just call me Oshare."

"O-Oh. O-Okay, then. Then I'd like to just be called Arle, then. I-If that's okay."

"Oh, of course. I don't want to make a sexy young woman uncomfortable, wouldn't I?"

 _S-Sexy?! W-Wow, this guy's good. Hard to believe that he's gay._

…

…

 _Wait, can skeletons be gay? I probably shouldn't ask, but…it's something to think about. I guess._

* * *

Oshare took me around his store and enlightened me on so much about fashion and how it plays out. I learned so much in just a short amount of time. Most of it I've never even knew were a thing of life.

This world…I'm starting to think that it's **WAY** more advanced than my own world. I mean with all this fashion information and what Lidelle told me about the other two towns nearby…it makes sense to think such a thing.

" _Ohoho!_ It is complete! My latest creation in the world of fashion!" Oshare praised himself.

"Come on out, Arle. I wanna see." Lidelle said.

"Uh…o-okay."

I stepped out of the tiny room I was in and looked at the mirror in front of me. What I was currently wearing was a light-blue & white mini-dress. With a small blue and white vest-type thing over the top and a black belt near the bottom of it.

On my arms were these red arm warmers that had a single white line on each. And on my hands were these weird black gloves that…didn't cover my fingers at all.

 _Kinda don't get it._

And then there were my shoes that came with these black socks that I got. Blue & white, with a single red strap on both. They look… _ **really**_ different. Almost…futuristic-like. Nothing like my old boots at all.

"W-Wow. I-I look…"

"Mr. Oshare. I think you went a little over…"

" **I look awesome!** "

"R-Really? You like it, Arle?" Lidelle asked me.

"Like it?! I **LOVE** it! I feel so different in these clothes! So refreshed! Reborn, even! I feel like an actual teenage girl for once!"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?"

"U-Uh…n-nothing much. Kinda said it for kicks. Hehheh."

"I see…"

 _ ***phew***_ _That was close. I don't think I should tell anyone about the stuff I did for most of my life. It's disturbing. Especially for me._

" _Ohoho!_ I'm glad you love it, Arle. Such appreciation of fashion from someone as young as you makes me eternity elated. As I token of my gratitude, I'll let you have it for free. My treat."

"W-Wow! Thanks a bunch, Oshare! I really appreciate it!" I gained a huge smile on my face. Not only did I gain a new outfit, but I got for free and without arguing with the shopkeeper.

 _Nohoho can seriously learn from this guy._

"Well, good for you, Arle. I'm glad you found something new to wear."

"Thanks, Lidelle. I…" I then stopped talking once I caught a glimpse

Of Lidelle's new shirt. One that showed the strap of a black undershirt over her right shoulder. And exposed her stomach.

But it wasn't the shirt that caught my attention. It was actually her exposed stomach.

More like…what was on it.

"Uh…Lidelle. What's that green symbol on your stomach?"

"Oh, this? This is my family crest. Every person in my family has one on their stomach. It's the symbol of the Royal Family of Hell."

"A-And you said… **EVERYONE** has that symbol?

"Yep. Well, except for my mother. And my cousin's a bit different from mine. Hers is red instead of green."

"I-I see…"

"You must be really proud of it to have it exposed like that huh, Lidelle?" Oshare asked.

" _ ***giggle***_ Yep. I'm happy to be a Namanari. Just like my father."

"I'm sure he would be proud to hear those words."

"Yeah. He would."

 _Gee. Lidelle's father…I wonder if I ran into him at one point. Can't remember, though._

"Well, then. I'm sure you ladies are satisfied with your findings, yes?" Oshare asked.

"Um…actually, Oshare. There is one more thing I could really use."

"Really? Well then do tell, Arle. What do you need?"

" _Well…_ "

* * *

"I'm back." I said once I walked inside Amitie's house."

"Oh hey, Arle. Where you've been?" Amitie asked.

"I was with Lidelle. She kinda gave me an explanation of this world. It's _**really**_ big. Bigger than I thought it was."

"Yeah. I guess it is."

"Woah! Arle! Cool outfit!" Ally yelled as she took a look at me.

"Did you go to Oshare's?" Amitie asked.

"Yeah, I did. He helped pick out this outfit and even gave it to me for free."

"What?! Lucky! I always had to pay his overpriced prices!" Ally complained.

"It's true. They are overpriced." Amitie added. "But I guess it's what to expect from a fashion expert."

"I guess." I said with a shrug.

 _I still don't understand how a skeleton can know so much about fashion. But I'll leave it alone, for now._

"Well, on the bright side. With this, you can stop borrowing my clothes."

"That's true…Oh, right! Here you go, Amitie." I said as I gave her a small bag that I came here with.

"Huh? What's this?"

"It's your bra. Oshare gave me a bunch of underwear of my own so I won't have to borrow any of yours anymore. Great, isn't it?"

" **Pfft!** Yeah, it's **REAL** great! Baahahahaha!" Ally yelled as she began laughing like crazy.

" _ ***moan***_ Quit laughing!" Amitie yelled.

" _ ***giggle***_ Sorry, Ami. I didn't mean to laugh at your… _itty-bitty-titties_."

" **You freaking said that on purpose!** "

 _Itty-bitty-titties? People in this world actually say such a thing?_

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever. Thanks for returning it, Arle. I bet it felt uncomfortable to wear, huh?"

"Huh. You know, now that you mention it…it did feel a little tight on me."

…

…

"Uh…Amitie?"

Amitie continued to look at me with a looked of either completely pissed, jealously, agony, or all three at once.

"Amitie? You okay?"

…

…

"I'm going to bed." Was all she said walked away from us. Taking the bag with her.

"D-Did I offend?" I asked Ally.

"No, not really. Ami just hates her tiny boobies. Especially since they make her look like a chi…"

 ***BONK***

" _Ow…_ " Ally then fell to the floor after Amitie had used her telekinesis to drop a heavy book on her head.

 _It's a big weird world out here…_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Another filler chapter. Nothing much to say here. Just that Arle's new outfit is her battle outfit from Quest. It was referenced in the original Tsu so I figured why not.**

 **Anyway…I've decided to delay The First Date (mainly the date itself) until much later. I want to use the newly written version of it and I don't feel like editing it completely. Plus, I want it to actually be on Raffina's birthday like it was originally planned. Before…yeah, I didn't measure the months well.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	29. Life of Lidelle

**Chapter 29 – Life of Lidelle**

 **Lidelle's POV**

 ***ALARM SOUND***

I woke up to the sound of my alarm ringing and move over to shut it off. While doing so, I look at the time that read on the clock. Being 5 in the morning.

" _ ***yawn***_ _Is it that time already?_ "

I got out of bed and changed out of my pj's into the new outfit I started wearing. Including the new shirt I had bought from Oshare yesterday. I sure hope I get less criticism for this.

After I had brushed my teeth, I started fixing up my hair. Well…tried to, I should say. As I kept staring at the mirror's reflection of myself. Mainly the top of my head.

That's where two pointy things stuck out of my hair. And I honestly, I'm starting to hate these things.

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ Dang horns. They're so hard to hide."

Of course, I was referring to my horns. They are a part of me since I'm a…well technically, I am a demon born into the Royal Family. But I'm mostly a hellspawn. There's a difference, but I don't feel like going into it right now.

After Dad died, my brother took over as the Demon King while Mother and I moved up to the surface. So, I'm the only "human girl" in this town who has horns. And it's a rather pain to deal with.

I try to keep my horns hidden underneath my hair as much as possible. With my current hairstyle being the closest I've gotten to hiding it completely. But with them growing along with the rest of my body, I'm not sure how long I can keep this particular hairstyle. It'll be a shame, too. This one's my favorite so far.

I went to the front door to grab my shoes and opened the door to get outside. As I've said before, I'm a shrine maiden. And shrine maidens tend to do a ton of work.

Yes, even ones specifically for demons.

The walk itself would be like hell for most people (pun not intended), but I've been doing this since I was a kid. So I'm pretty much used to it by now.

For starters, I have to clean up around the shrine. Mainly sweeping the pavement and cleaning the windows and statues. And then I check if any of the statues got possessed or anything. That oddly happens sometimes. I'm not sure why.

Once everything's done at the shrine, I go from there to the grocery store to pick up stuff to cook for breakfast. Then I go home to cook said breakfast for Mother and myself. Usually, before that, I go to the garden at the back of our house. Just to extra stuff like water the flowers, feed the koi fish…and one other thing.

As I finish feeding the fish, I felt something nudging on me in a soft way. I start to smile a bit because I know who's doing it.

"Hey, Poochy! You ready for a walk?" I ask.

" _ARF ARF!_ "

"Okay, go get your leash!"

" _ARF ARF!_ "

Poochy is my pet dog that I take care of. He's the size of a small puppy, so he has a lot of energy. But he's also very fragile. He's pale white, almost like a ghost, with one black eye and missing the other.

…

Doesn't sound like a normal dog, right? Well, that's because he's not a dog. In fact, he's not even a living being. He's what's known as a lost soul.

When a living being dies, there's a rare chance that they'll forget everything about their past life. And if that happens, they gain the ability to shapeshift into different things in order to figure out who or what they were before they died. But they never do. And they spend their afterlives being everything but their true self.

It sounds depressing when you really think about it. But Poochy doesn't really seem to care. He's just happy to be with me.

I remember when I first found him in the rain one day. At that time, he was the shape of a raindrop. A _**really**_ big raindrop. He looked sad, lonely, and hungry. And I would've felt absolutely horrible if I left him there. So I took him home with me, warmed him up and gave him some food.

When my parents came home that same day, I asked if I could keep him. At first, they were against the idea because of the fact that he was a lost soul. And they tend to take their anger about never being their true selves out on others.

Then my mom mentioned something about a dog. And then out of the blue, he turned himself into a dog. Even started acting like one.

It was…really weird. But also really cute at the same time. My parents then decided that I could keep him if I took good care of him. To which, I agreed.

Since then, he's turned into a lot of different things. A flower, a koi fish, a bird, a rabbit. He's even made himself to look like Dongurigaeru and Onion Pixy, despite never meeting them.

But he spends most of the time being a dog. And I gave him the name Poochy cause it sounded cute. And he and I have been together ever since.

 _My one and only best friend._

" _ARF!_ "

Poochy came running towards me with his black leash in his mouth, dropping it in front of me and standing on his hind legs.

"Good boy!" I said while rubbing his pale white…fur(?).

" _ARF ARF!_ "

Poochy started licking my cheek in gratitude and I put him on the leash. I took him out through the front door and we started walking down the block.

I like walking him. But it can never be a "normal walk" with him.

That's because every so often, Poochy would just stop walking and stare at some random thing with an intense glare, start growling, and attempt to charge at it.

"Poochy, no!" I said.

" _ARF ARF!_ "

"Poochy, it doesn't do anything. Just like the other stuff you're stared at."

" _ARF ARF ARF!_ "

"You're a weird soul, you know that?"

 _ ***whine***_

"Yes, I still love you."

" _ARF ARF!_ " Poochy licked my cheek again and we continued our walk.

Usually, when I walk Poochy this early in the morning, I like to look at the sky. The way the sunrise mixes with the starry night sky is a beautiful sight, at least for me. It goes well with the empty streets of Primp. The cool breeze blowing through my hair also relaxes me of the stress of balancing my shrine maiden work, school, and living my life as the Demonic Princess.

Most people would dread being up this early. But for me, it's the most peaceful part of my day.

* * *

Poochy and I finally came home and I took him off the leash to let him go to the garden. I then got out the stuff I bought at the grocery store and prepared to cook breakfast.

"Let's see…what to make?" I asked myself. I scrolled through a cooking app on my phone looking for something to cook, when something caught my eye.

"Triple chocolate chocolate-chip pancakes, with bacon, egg & cheese omelets, and jumbo buttered biscuits as side dishes… _ooh, it sounds so delicious!_ But…do I really have enough time to cook all that?"

I look at the clock on my phone and saw that it was already 6:45 am. I then looked at the recipe list to check how long each dish would take to make.

"Huh…the pancakes and the omelets take 10 minutes each, and the biscuits take 5 minutes. No problem. I can totally make all of this in 25 minutes. Even less, maybe."

I got the stuff needed for each dish and started cooking. It took me about 20 minutes to make all three dishes enough for me and my mother. I cleaned the kitchen and waited in the living room with the food for her to wake up. While doing so, I remembered that forgot to do one more thing.

" **Poochy! Breakfast!** " I yelled outside the garden.

" _ARF ARF!_ "

Poochy ran inside the house and tackled me down, despite me being bigger than him. He continued to lick me all over my face until I had to force him off me.

"Silly soul. I'm not breakfast."

" _ARF ARF ARF!_ "

"Well, I see he really likes you, Lidelle." Said a new voice entering the living room.

"Oh. Good morning, Mother." I greeted her with a bow.

"Good morning to you too, Lidelle." Mother greeted me, returning the bow.

My mother is basically an older version of me. She and I have the same facial features, and her green hair is longer than mine. She's also known to be a little shy and timid. Much like me.

The only difference between us is that Mother doesn't have horns. As she's 100% human. They came from my father, who died a month after I found Poochy due to a rare illness humans would probably never get.

It's a demon thing.

I do miss him. A lot, actually. He used to tell my brother and I of how he and Mother met. According to him, he snuck out of hell one day as a teenager and came here to the surface world just to cause trouble. But on that day, he met my mother, who didn't know he was the demon king at the time. And the two fell in love.

He eventually did tell her his true identity. But it didn't change her mind on who she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. They eventually got married and had us two as children.

My father continued to be the demon king. And my brother was fascinated by his evil doings. He learned everything dark and sinister from him. And when Dad died, he took over as the next demon king.

He still comes over to visit. But when he does, he talks non-stop about this girl name Arly that he says he's fallen in love with. And from what he's told me, she keeps rejecting him.

I love my brother, but he's so freaking clueless when it comes to the feelings of a girl.

"I hope you enjoy today's breakfast, Mother." I said.

Mother took a look at what was on the table and was a bit skeptical.

"Uh, Lidelle…what **EXACTLY** is for breakfast?" She asked.

"Triple chocolate chocolate-chip pancakes, bacon, egg & cheese omelets, and jumbo buttered biscuits." I said.

" _ARF ARF!_ "

"I know, Poochy! It sounds so good, it makes your mouth water!"

"Sweetie…are you having another growth spurt?"

"Why must you always relate my appetite to a growth spurt?"

"Well, sweetie. You are still growing. In height, weight…and chest."

"Mother. May we please not bring up my chest? I'm trying to accept the fact that they won't grow past an A-cup."

"Come now, Lidelle. They're not **THAT** small. They're bigger then they were last year. You're probably a B-cup right now."

" _I can only wish…_ " I said in a sad tone.

"It does take time, you know."

"May we please just eat now, Mother?"

"L-Lidelle. I-I'm not sure if I can finish all of this…" Mother looked at her plate once more with a look of uncertainty.

" _ARF! ARF ARF!_ "

"Poochy said he'll eat what's leftover."

" _ ***sigh***_ He has just as big of an appetite as you, sweetie."

After that conversation pasted by, Mother and I began eating breakfast while I gave Poochy a bite of my food after every few bites I took. Like Mother had claimed earlier, she didn't finish her food. So Poochy ate the rest. When we were done eating, I grabbed the plates and went to the kitchen to wash them. While I was doing so, Mother came into the kitchen and stood next to me.

"So, Lidelle, what do you plan on doing today?" She asked.

"Hm. Not sure. My friends are rather busy today. Amitie's practicing her telekinesis again and Raffina's dealing with her clone situation."

"Telekinesis? Clone situation?" Mother looked confused.

"Long story short, a new friend of ours named Arle has this gem that did weird stuff to them. It gave Amitie telekinesis, Ally magical powers, and it cloned Raffina. The latter struggling with it hard."

"I see. So, you'll be by yourself today?"

"Most likely. I'll probably go for a walk after this. See if I could find something to do."

"Okay, then. I'll be here reading a book or two. Have fun."

"Thank you, Mother."

After I finished washing the dishes, I let Poochy back out to the garden and went out through the front door to start the walk from my house. Thinking of things that only take one person to do.

…

…

 _Geez. This is harder than I thought…_

* * *

Due to my intense self-thinking, I ended up walking all the way to the plaza without realizing it. It's pretty far my house, so I was shocked that I walked that far while spaced-out like that.

 _Woah…I can't believe I walked this far out. I must be more relaxed than I thought._

I continued walking through the plaza when I noticed that I was a few feet away from Lemres' sweets shop. I looked at the time, which was a quarter to 9, and then felt my hand on my stomach.

"Even though I just ate…it shouldn't be a problem if I ate a little more, right?"

…

…

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ Maybe I do have another growth spurt."

I walked a few more feet and opened the door to the sweets shop. There I saw Lemres at the counter counting the money from the register.

"Good morning, Mr. Lemres." I said.

"Ah, Lidelle. Wasn't expecting to see you today. What can I do for you?" Lemres asked.

"One Double Mocha Ice Cream Sundae please."

"Really? This early? You didn't eat breakfast?"

"I did…"

"Oh. _***chuckle***_ Having another growth spurt, are we now?"

"Please don't remind me." I said with an exasperated look.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll go get you that sundae."

"Thank you, Mr. Lemres."

The reason why Lemres knows about me getting growth spurts so often is because he used to babysit me when I was little. Apparently my father was real close to the comet warlocks, and Lemres was 13 at the time. So whenever my father and my brother were off doing something hell-related and Mother had to work, Lemres would come over and watch me until one of them got home. Mainly Mother, the other two would be out till late at night. He's the one who discovered my excessive appetite. And knew how to dealt with it.

"Here you go. One Double Mocha Ice Cream Sundae. Made just the way you like it." Lemres said as he placed the sundae bowl in front of me.

"Thank you, Mr. Lemres." I said while grabbing the nearest spoon and shoving a big scoop into my mouth. " _Mmmm!_ So good!"

" _ ***chuckle***_ This treat always was your favorite. Even back then."

"But back then, I would eat anything I could get my hands on."

"You still do."

" _Hey…_ "

" _ ***chuckle***_ Sorry, sorry."

I ate the whole sundae about five minutes later and Lemres took the bowl to wash it. I sat on the stool rubbing my stomach in satisfaction while trying to hold in a burp. I ended up failing to do so.

"So, what are you doing after this?" Lemres asked after he finished washing the bowl.

"Not sure. Without Amitie or Raffina, I can't really think of what to do."

"What about the others?"

"Well…if I hang out with either Arle or Schezo, they'll probably either bombard me with questions about everything here or say something perverted and get me in trouble. Yu and Rei are probably either working or at home. And I don't feel like walking to Nahe Forest. I honestly don't know where Klug lives. And I'm pretty sure Melody's still asleep."

"Hmm…what about Ally?"

"Ally?" I thought for a moment. "Oh yeah, forgot about her. Well…we do have somethings in common, so we could probably find something to do."

"I can see that happening."

"Yeah, but…there's that perverted side of her."

"Everyone has flaws, Lidelle. Even you."

"And what exactly **IS** my flaw?"

"Well, it depends. Do I really need to say it? Or does your stomach need to?"

" _Hmph. Meanie._ " I pouted.

"Oh? I haven't heard that word in a while. _Are we having a hissy fit?_ "

" _ **Don't tease me!**_ "

" _ ***chuckle***_ Oh, how I've missed that childish side of you. It's almost like having a little sister."

" ***** _ **sigh***_ Geez, Mr. Lemres."

I got off the stool and patted myself off to get any dust off my clothes. I then headed for the door and opened it halfway before turning back towards Lemres.

"Thank you again for the food. See you around… _Lemres-oneechan!_ " I said in a teasing voice.

" **H-Hey!** " Lemres reacted with a slight blush on his face.

I smiled, holding in my urge to laugh as walked out the sweets shop with a full belly.

* * *

I was back outside in the plaza wondering what to do next when I remembered the suggestion Lemres gave me.

 _Well…I could spend time with Ally. It wouldn't be all that bad…aside from her perverted statements._

I was deep in thought for a while when the tree next to where I was standing started shaking, despite it not being windy at all. It scared me out of my train of thought and I decided to investigate what was up there. As I got close enough to be underneath the tree, I heard a branch break and…

" **AHH!** "

" **AHH!** "

 ***THUD***

I fell to the ground with something heavy on top of me. I slowly opened my eyes and lifted my head up to see what it was. Or in this case, _who_.

"A-Ally?!"

"Oh. Hey, Lidelle. Nice weather we're having, isn't it?"

"Yeah, if I was asking for raining teenage girls. **Now get off of me!** "

I pushed Ally off of me and stood back up while dusting myself off again. I then grabbed Ally's hand and pulled her up.

"What were doing in that tree?" I asked her.

"I was up there because I'm **SO BORED, LIDELLE!** Ami left to practice her telekinesis and left me behind with nothing to do!"

"So, you climbed a tree?"

"It was the only thing I could think of!"

"Okay…" I didn't really understand how Ally's first and only idea to solve her boredom was to climb a tree in the middle of the plaza. But I decided not to question it.

"Anyway. I'm sure that Amitie wants to master this new power she got. And you would've been a distraction."

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ Yeah, I guess that's true. But I still have nothing to do."

"What's Arle doing?"

"She's with Schezo checking out some cave he found."

"And Melody?"

"Still asleep."

"Really?! It's almost noon!" I was just assuming that Melody would be still sleeping! I didn't think it would be true!

"That's nothing. That day we went to the museum to learn about that mirror, we came home to see that Melody had slept the entire day.

"The **ENTIRE** day?!"

"Yep. It's impressive when you think about it."

 _I don't see it at all..._

"So, that's basically why I'm out here."

"I see. Well, I was just about to go home now. Do you want to come over?"

"Really? I can? You think I can spend the night, too? I'm pretty sure Melody's going to do another 24-hour and I think Ami's still mad at me for making fun of her tiny breasts yesterday."

 _I don't blame her…_

"Yeah, sure. I'll come with you to get your stuff. My house is pretty far."

"Fine by me. Then without further ado… _ **Let's fall in love!**_ "

" **Wh-What?!** " I reacted with a moderate amount of blush on my cheeks.

"Ah! I-I'm so sorry! I, uh…tend to say that when I get excited over something I-It doesn't mean what you think it means! I swear!" Ally explained. Also with a moderate amount of blush on her cheeks.

"O-Oh. O-Okay then. L-Let's go."

"Y-Yeah. L-Let's go."

* * *

After that weird and unexpected moment, Ally and I went to Amitie's house so Ally can grab some stuff to use overnight. While we were there, we tried waking Melody up.

No success.

So we left her a note saying Ally won't be home tonight and left. I was even giving Ally directions along the way in case she wanted to come over again.

When we arrived at my house, Ally was amazed at how big it was.

"Wow, Lidelle! _**This**_ is your house?! It's **HUGE!** "

"Is it really? I never thought of it that way. Probably because I've lived here most of my life." I said.

We entered my house and went to the living room where Mother was reading a book.

"Mother, I'm back."

"Oh hello there, sweetie. I see you brought a friend." Mother said.

"Yes. This is my friend, Ally. She moved here not too long ago. If you don't mind, she would like to spend the night."

"Sure, I don't mind. Make yourself at home, Ally."

"Thank you. It's a pleasure to meet you, uh…Mrs. Namanari." Ally said.

"Oh, you don't have to call me that. Just call me Yumi."

"Yumi?" We both said.

"Yep, that's my name."

"Mother, how come you've never told me your first name until now?"

"You've never asked, sweetie."

…

…

 _What's with this sudden feeling of de-ja-vu?_

"A-Anyway…Ally and I are going to be in my room if you need me." I said.

"Okay. Have fun, you two." Mother said.

"Thanks again for letting me stay here, uh…Yumi." Ally said.

"No problem, Ally."

We went to the back of the house on the right side of the hall and I opened the sliding door to my room. We stepped inside and Ally took a look around.

"Wow, Lidelle. Even your room is big. So cool."

"Huh? It's not _**that**_ big, is it?"

"It's bigger than any bedroom I've ever seen."

"Huh. Weird. Well, you can just put your stuff next to that drawer over there."

"Alright."

Ally dropped her bag next to the drawer and looked around some more while I dug in my closet looking for stuff for us to do.

"So what do you want to do first, Ally?"

…

"Ally?"

I turned around to see Ally opening one of the drawers really slowly.

" _Ooh, I wonder what's in here…"_ She asked in a teasing voice.

" **Close it, you pervert!** " I yelled.

"Oh? To get _**that**_ reaction…is this your underwear drawer, Lidelle?"

" **L-LIKE I'M TELLING YOU WHAT'S IN THERE!** "

"Yep. Definitely your underwear drawer."

"J-Just close the dang thing!"

"Alright, alright." Ally said as she closed the drawer.

"Geez. How does Amitie put up with you?"

"She's my best friend. So, of course, she got used to it. Great, right?"

" _Woohoo._ " I said sarcastically. "Anyway, what do you want to do?"

"Let's see…wanna play a video game?"

"A video game? Okay then, which one?"

It was then that Ally had grown a big smirk on her face. Like what she was about to suggest was going to intimidate me or something.

 _Where is she going with this?_

" _ ***giggle***_ _Lidelle Namanari…_ **I challenge you to a Mario Kart tournament!** "

"Oh? Do you know?" I then grew a smirk of my own. " _ ***giggle***_ Very well. I'll let you experience the true skills of a Mario Kart Master like myself. _Prepare to be amazed, Ally Nakano._ "

"Then as a token for accepting my challenge… _ **Let's fall in love!**_ " Ally yelled.

"A-Again?!" I yelled as the blushes from earlier returned to my face.

"S-Sorry! I-It just happens! I-I can't really control it!" Ally was also completely blushed like last time. And after a while of trying to calm down, we began playing the game.

* * *

A couple of hours later, we ate dinner that Mother had cooked (which was way less than what I would normally cook) and then took our baths. We were both in my room talking about other things we had in common when we heard a scratching sound coming from the door.

" ***** _ **giggle**_ ***** Come in, Poochy." I said.

"Poochy?" Ally asked.

"He's my dog…kinda."

" _Kinda_? What is that supposed to mean?"

" _Well…_ "

" _ARF ARF!_ " Poochy phased through the door and charged towards me. Knocking me to the floor and licking my face repeatedly.

"Okay, okay. I missed you too, boy. Just get off me."

" _ARF!_ "

"Wh-Whoa! Wh-What **IS** that?!" Ally asked. Completely blown out of her mind.

"This is Poochy, my "dog" And I put that in air quotes because he's technically not a dog He's a lost soul."

"I don't know what that is. But it sounds so cool!"

"Poochy, say hi."

…

…

"Uh…Poochy?"

Poochy stared at Ally for a bit then walked up to her. Then after sniffing her a bit, he changed himself into a cat and climbed on her. Eventually laying down on her lap and started purring.

"Poochy?" I asked.

" _Aw_. He's so cute! Reminds me of my cat." Ally said.

"Your cat?"

"Yeah. I had a cat when I was younger back in Konoko. Her name was Chupei and she was a grey cat that had so much energy." Ally then gained a sad look on her face. "Sadly, though, she died due to an incurable illness."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that, Ally."

"It's okay. Really, it is. There was nothing that we could do for her. So we just let her enjoy her last moments on earth before she passed."

"Oh, wow. So I guess Poochy read that about you and wanted to make you feel better."

"H-He can do that?"

"Maybe. I mean, he can shapeshift. So he may have magical powers."

"I-I see…" Ally looked unsure of it. "Well, thanks a bunch, Poochy. I feel much better now."

" _Meow._ "

"He meowed! Lidelle your lost soul is so cool!"

"Poochy, you're so weird."

" _Meow._ "

"Okay, girls. Time for bed." Mother came in letting us know that it was getting late.

"Okay, Mother." I said.

"Huh? Didn't Poochy come in here?"

Poochy changed back into a dog and ran out of my room towards the garden.

" _ARF ARF! ARF ARF!_ "

…

…

"W-Was he a cat just now?" Mother asked.

"Yeah. I guess he learned a new shape."

"I see. Well, goodnight, girls."

"Goodnight." We both said.

Mother turned off the lights and closed the door behind her. I was laying down on my bed and Ally was in her futon. We were both trying to go to sleep but…

"Hey, Lidelle? You up?"

"Yeah, why?" I asked.

"I just…I just wanted to say that I had a great time today."

"Yeah, me too."

"I never thought that we had so much in common. It's great!"

"I know. It's like your another me."

"Or like your another me."

"But I'm not a pervert."

" _ **Hey…**_ "

I started laughing and then turned to Ally, facing her on her futon.

"But seriously. I really did have fun with you, Ally."

"Same here, Lidelle." Ally replied with a smile.

We both went silent for a bit, doing nothing else but staring at each other. It…felt really weird to me. I say that…but I don't know why I said it.

It was…unexplainably odd.

But then just as I thought it couldn't any weirder and unexplainably odd, this happened…

"H-Hey, Lidelle…"

"Yeah, Ally?"

…

"I-I was, um…just wondering. H-How long have you been gay? I-I mean when did you realize that you were?"

"Th-That's a…That's a random question to ask." I started to blush.

"I-It's just…people back home used to assume that I was gay because I would always say that line a lot. I-It…kinda annoyed me."

"I see. Well… for me, I realized…a-a month or two before Amitie moved here."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And back then, I felt like people had already figured it out and were avoiding me because of it. I felt so alone. I thought people hated me because I didn't like boys in _**that**_ way. It was so painful that I never even bothered to come out to people besides Mother."

I then let out a huge sigh.

"But, of course. She had to tell Ms. Accord that. But then again, I can't really be mad at her. Raffina had me figured out because I couldn't control myself."

I then let out another huge sigh.

"This world…you would think people would get over the fact that there are others who prefer the same sex over the opposite. But the hate is just as strong as ever."

The room went silent after that. I figured that I made Ally uncomfortable to the point where she didn't want to continue this conversation. So, I decided to just go to sleep.

But that's when…

"You know, Lidelle. I…I don't hate you for being gay."

…

…

"Y…You don't?" I was shocked to hear such a thing. Even though I had two other people tell me the exact same thing.

"Of course not. I like you for you are. The Homosexual Demonic Princess of Hell."

"Th-That…pl-please never say that again." I gained a sweatdrop.

" _ ***giggle***_ Sorry. But my point is…you're a really nice girl, Lidelle. And that's what I see in you. Nothing else."

"W-Wow. Th-Thank you, Ally. That…That really means a lot to me."

"Y-You're…You're welcome, Lidelle."

We both continued to stare at each other with bright-red blushes on our faces. I felt my heart racing as I continued to stare at her. This new and weird feeling felt good. I didn't want it to end.

"H-Hey, Lidelle. Do you think…you could…st-stay down here…w-with me? I-I mean, you don't have to! I'm not trying to force you or anything…"

And apparently. Neither did Ally.

I was taken back by this request. Was it possible that Ally was having the same weird feeling I was? There's no way I could ask her that. For now, I might as well continue to keep this feeling of mine a secret.

"S-Sure. I-I don't mind. Not at all." I said.

I could've sworn Ally's face grew excited for a second. But maybe I'm just getting tired from this new feeling. We both laid down on Ally's futon and continued to face each other. Both of our cheeks were as red as two cherries side by side together. My heart was going faster than before. I felt like this new feeling was going to be the death of me. But it felt so dang good that I didn't care.

" **G…Goodnight!** " We both said as we turned our heads away from each other.

 _ ***sigh***_ _It was nice while it lasted._

A little while after we fell asleep, I felt a nudge coming from behind me. I turned around to see Ally snuggling up against me.

It took me by surprise. But…I didn't do anything to get her off. Instead, I got closer to her to the point that I was snuggling up against her. Her skin was so warm and soft. It eased me of the built-up stress from the weird feeling. As I fell back asleep in the most relaxed state I've ever been in.

I don't know why. But for some reason…this felt so right.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Lidelle's first POV. Not much was changed from the original. But in the end, I still feel like a lot was changed. Not sure why.**

 **So, I'm going to say this now so it won't be a surprise later on. Once this story merge is 100% complete (and by that, I mean once chapter 41 of Fever is added onto here), both the original Tsu and the original Fever with be taken down. It's to avoid confusion later on in the future. But that's a LONG time from now. So, you guys have plenty of time to enjoy those two stories as they were originally written. Like I said. Just wanted to announce this now than at the last minute.**

 **Next up is the beginning of that one pairing that everyone just seems to love. You know who I'm talking about. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	30. The Two in Blue

**Chapter 30 – The Two in Blue**

 **Arle's POV**

 _Takes place on the same day as chapter 29._

"Woah…this place is **SO COOL!** "

"Right? And it was just an ordinary cave when I found it."

"I still can't believe you did all this in 3 days."

 _ ***confident chuckle***_ "Never doubt the power of dark magic."

What I was looking at was a cave that Schezo had appeared in when he got wrapped here by the Dimensional Mirror. After he asked Amitie and Raffina to help him look for it (while avoiding these "cops" people. I don't know.), he decided to live in this cave.

He eventually started not liking how cramped it was. So he used his magic to make it bigger. And soon after that, it started to look more…well, livable.

And right now, he was showing me just how big he made this cave.

"For some odd reason, this area right there is covered with ice. I am currently not sure what to do with it. So I am leaving it alone for now." He said.

" _Oh…_ " I said in amazement.

"I found this waterfall on the second day. Not sure where the water's coming from, but it's drinkable."

" _Woah…_ "

"And these crystals…I am not sure what they are. Though, they are extremely bright. So I use them as a light source."

" _Wow…_ "

"And I sense that there is even more to this cave. Once my magic has replenished, I shall _bareback_ this cave once more!"

"Uh…bareback?"

…

…

" **GAH!** Why do I keep doing that?!"

"It's okay, Schezo. I find it _**really**_ funny seeing you realizing what perverted stuff you just said." I said in a teasing tone.

"S-Silence, Arle!"

After reliving another one of Schezo's outbursts, I gave him some of the candy that I got from Lemres and we both ate some while sitting on one of the rocks in the cave. While eating it, I started having some deep thoughts.

"Hey, Schezo. What do you think the others are doing right now?"

"Can you not just ask them? You are with them every day, correct?"

"Not them. I mean **our** friends, from **our** world."

"Oh, that. I am not really sure about that. But knowing them, it probably is something absurd."

"Yeah, true. We did do some pretty weird stuff back there. But they were fun too, right?"

"Fun? Hah. I am a dark wizard. I do not have "fun"."

"Yeah right, you perv. Admit it, you enjoyed chasing after me. Mr. _I want you!_ "

"Tch! You know very well that I only want your power! I have no interest in being with someone that way."

" _Really?_ "

"Really!"

" _Hmm…_ We'll see about that. there are a lot more human girls in this world. And if you want my opinion, they're really cute."

"W-Will you just cease talking about it already?!" Schezo's face was starting to blush from embarrassment. I love teasing the hell out of this guy.

" _ ***giggle***_ Alright, alright." I said. "But you seriously can't say that the things we did weren't fun."

"Oh, really? There were _**THOSE**_ things that happened."

"Oh, yeah. _**THOSE**_ things." I said with an exasperated tone. "Like that pointless Puyo tower…"

"The sun getting bigger…"

"The battle with that clone of me that wanted me dead…"

"Wait, what?" Schezo looked at me.

"Long story."

"I see…"

"Point is. They were all caused by…"

We stop talking for a bit while remembering the madness we had to endure due to one person.

" ***** _ **sigh**_ _ *****_ Satan." We both said in annoyance.

"Honestly. If that old man shows up here…" Schezo said.

"He better not show up here. For once, I'm having days were I don't have to go to his castle and foil whatever plan he's come up with. So annoying!"

"They weren't even "evil plans" in the first place. They were just ways to get a bunch of women around him."

"Or worse. They would be plans to get me, his "fiancé", on a romantic honeymoon underneath the starry night sky. I keep turning the idiot down, but it never goes through that thick head of his. Not to mention he keeps calling me Arly. Some stupid nickname, or something."

"That old man is a perverted idiot. And thus, I honestly do not understand how Rulue is madly in love with him."

"They do say looks can be deceiving." I said with a shrug.

"True. But with Satan, **EVERYTHING** is deceiving about him."

"Right?!"

We both laughed at the insulting joke then calmed down after a few minutes. Nearly choking on the candy while laughing.

"Do you think we'll ever see them again, Schezo?" I asked.

"Well, that Akuma guy said that six lightning bolts came out the Dimensional Mirror before it exploded, did he not? If I truly was one of them…"

"Then it could be possible the others are here too. Although, we don't really know who exactly they are, huh?"

"Unfortunately, that is the case."

I let out a deep sigh of sadness as a reaction to the fact.

"Are you alright, Arle?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just gonna go back to Amitie's now. Thanks for showing me around this cool cave, Schezo."

"Not a problem. And do not hesitate to _come_ _for_ _me_ again. I _really enjoy_ it."

" _Really? You enjoy me coming for you?_ " I asked in a teasing tone.

…

…

" **Sh-Shut up!** You know that is **NOT** what I mean!"

"Yeah, I know… _pervert_."

"You are _**really**_ pushing it, right now."

I cracked up laughing as I left Schezo's cave. Leaving him somewhat annoyed at my teasing.

 _Like I said. I love teasing this guy._

* * *

I reached the forest exit and wound up at the park next to it. Thanks to Yu and Rei giving me directions on how to navigate through what they call Nahe Forest, I wasn't able to get lost. I looked at my surrounds as the wind blew through my let down hair.

"You know…now that I think about it, this place is kind of peaceful. Scratch that, it's **VERY** peaceful. Compared to home, this place is like heaven!"

I stopped talking and thought about what I just said.

"N-Not that I'm saying my world is total hell or anything."

I then stopped and thought about it again.

"A-Actually…it kinda is."

I sat on a nearby bench and continued to enjoy the scenery. Having no one here made it even more peaceful. It felt relaxing not having to do something completely ridiculous for once in my life.

 _But still…I wouldn't mind seeing everyone again._

As I sat on the bench lost in my own thoughts, a butterfly flew up to me and landed on my nose. It broke my train of thought as I looked at it with curiosity.

"Oh. Hello there, little guy. What are you doing on my nose?" I asked the butterfly.

"It's a girl."

"H-Huh?!"

 _I could've sworn I just heard this butterfly talk._

"That butterfly…it's a girl."

 _Holy crap! It talked again!_

I was starting to believe that not only this butterfly can talk, but it likes to do so in third-person. I was starting to get a little creeped out…but at the same time, I wanted to hear it talk some more.

"H-Hey…little butterfly. C-Can you talk some more?"

The butterfly didn't do (or in this case, _say_ ) anything and instead flew off my nose into the sky.

" **H-Hey! W-Wait! Where you going?! Don't leave! I wanna hear you talk some more!** " I shouted. When it out of my sight, I slumped back on the bench in disappointment.

"You know butterflies can't talk, right?"

"Huh?" I couldn't believe I was still hearing the same voice. Even with the butterfly miles away from me at this point.

"Behind you."

I turned around to see a boy standing behind me. He had sky blue antennae-like hair with a…ladybug resting on top of it?

 _Does he not notice it on him?_

A-Anyway, he was wearing a dark-blue t-shirt, some black sweatpants with some kind of bug print on the left side, a pair of black & white shoes, and a grey jacket with three black lines on each sleeve.

But the most noticeable things I noticed about him were that he had two different colored eyes. One blue one red. And he also had a strangely red left hand. It almost looked like a claw. What's up with that?

"H-How long have you standing behind me?" I asked the boy.

"The whole time."

 _Aw, crap…_

"So, that you talking and not the butterfly?"

"Pretty much."

"Well, I feel stupid now."

"Don't worry. It was kind of funny seeing you talk to a butterfly."

"Geez. Here you are making fun of me yet I don't even know your name." I said in a pouty tone with my arms crossed.

"Sig."

"Huh?"

"That's my name. Sig Duranné."

"Duranné? Sounds too difficult, if you ask me."

"Difficult? How is it difficult?" Sig asked. He sounded insulted, but I couldn't tell because he had this unamused, carefree look on his face.

"Well, take my name. Arle Nadja. It's simple enough to remember and it sounds..."

"Kinda cute."

" **C-Cute?!** " I blushed really hard at that compliment. I never thought anyone would say that my name was cute, let alone a boy.

"Sorry. Did I offend?"

"N-No. I-I just wasn't expecting that, is all."

"Oh." He said, still sounding unamused.

"So…what were you doing out here? Was it something to do with that butterfly?" I asked.

"Yeah. I was trying to catch her."

"Her?"

"It's a girl."

"How do you know?"

"I'm a bug expert. I can tell."

"Just like that?"

"Pretty much."

…

…

"You're a weird boy, you know that?" I said.

"This is coming from the girl who thought butterflies could talk."

"Very funny." I said sounding insulted.

Sig grew a small, yet noticeable smile on his face. It made me gain a smile on my face, too. I've only met this guy just a few minutes ago…but he seems really fun to be around.

"Hey, I was going to look for more bugs. You wanna come with?" Sig asked.

"Sure. I'm free at the moment."

* * *

Sig took me to a spot in the park he said is known for having a lot of bugs. Each one he would catch he would tell me a little fact about them.

"This here is a Rhino Beetle. Due to it being able to carry 850 times its own weight, it's known as the strongest creature in the world."

"Woah! The world?! That's amazing!"

"And here's a Devil's Flower Mantis. They're really good at mimicking flowers. They hide out on them until prey come by, then they just eat them."

"Wow. I should make sure I don't accidentally pick up one of those."

Just then, I saw a bug crawl up to me. It was grey and had a really long mouth. I thought it was cool looking. So I tried to pick it up with my finger when…

" **W-WAIT, ARLE! DON'T TOUCH THAT BUG!** " Sig yelled as he grabbed my hand with his red claw.

"H-Huh?! W-Why not?!" I asked in a panicked state.

"That's an Assassin Bug. It stabs its prey with its straw-like mouth to inject a toxin that turns the prey's intestines into liquid. Then the bug would suck the toxin back up, along with the liquified intestines."

" **H-Holy crap! That sounds like a horrible way to die!** " I was scared out of my mind that such a creature existed in this world.

"There are bugs that do worse. But luckily, I haven't found those ones yet."

"Well…thank you, Sig. In a way, you kinda saved my life."

"Huh. I guess I did."

The two of us just sat there in the bug-infested patch of grass staring at each other's eyes. I felt my heart racing and my cheeks getting hotter as I didn't move from that spot. I saw that Sig's face, although still looking like he's bored out of his mind, was just as red as mine. When we came to realize what we were doing, we quickly turned our heads away from each other in pure shyness.

 _This is getting way too awkward. I have to break the ice somehow._

"H-Hey, Sig." I stuttered. "D-Do you want to…uh…walk around a bit?"

Sig didn't say anything, but he did gesture his head to mean _yes_.

We both got up from the patch of grass (with Sig waving goodbye to the bugs) and walked around town. Eventually regaining the ability to talk to each other.

"So, Sig. How long have you been in this town?" I asked him.

"Not long. I just moved here."

"Really? When?"

"Yesterday."

"So, you just moved here yesterday and you're already rummaging through bushes catching bugs? Again, you're a weird boy."

"You seem like an expert on moving to a new place."

"Well, actually…I really don't."

"Huh?"

I started to tell Sig that I've only been here for a week. How that I was wrapped here from a different world and came out of a magic mirror of some sorts. I also mentioned Schezo, and how he got wrapped here too. All Sig said when I finished explaining was…

"I don't get it."

"Really? What's not to get? I thought I explained it very well." I said.

"Well yeah, you did. I just don't get how all that happened."

"Yeah, neither do I. Something to do with Space-Time, I guess."

"What's Space-Time?"

"No idea."

"Oh." Was all he said.

I took a quick peek at his eyes and more importantly his hand. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't curious about it.

"Hey, Sig. Why do you have different colored hands and eyes?" I asked.

"Well, the eyes are because of something called heterochromia. Which makes one eye a different color from the other. As for the hand…" Sig looked at his hand for a bit then looked back at me.

"It's a disease."

" **A-A disease?! Y-You're not going to pass it onto me, are you?!** "

"Relax. It's not contagious."

"O-Oh. Good."

"Although, if it was…I wonder what you would look like with a red arm."

"D-Don't joke about that! It's creepy!"

"And you coming from a different world isn't?"

"W-Well…y-yeah, you have a point."

"So, I win then."

"Yes, you win. Congratulations." I said sounding insulted.

We both continued talking for a while. By the time we completely stopped, the sun was already starting to set. I guess we were walking so long and enjoy each other's company so much that we lost track of time.

"Woah, look at that. The sun's setting." I said.

"Yeah. It is." Sig replied.

"I should probably get home now. I'm staying with a friend of mine."

"I see. I need to get home, too."

"You know, Sig. I really had fun spending time with you today. We should do this more often."

"Yeah. I agree."

We caught ourselves staring at each other again and turned our heads in the other direction. My heart and cheeks were in the same condition as before.

 _This awkward feeling again?! What's with me today?!_

After we calmed down a bit, we faced each other again and smiled at each other with a small grin.

"So, can we meet up again tomorrow? At the park?" I asked.

"Sure." Sig said. "I'll look for a nice, non-deadly bug for you."

"Yeah, I would like that a lot."

We grabbed each other's hand and formed a handshake. Then we let go and I turned around to start running back to Amitie's house. Before I did, though, I turned my head back towards Sig and faced him again.

"It was nice to meet you, Sig." I said.

"Same here, Arle." He said back.

I smiled greatly as I began running back to Amitie's place. Waving back at Sig as he waved back at me.

* * *

By the time I got home, the night sky had already formed. Normally, I would be battling it out with Satan via a Puyo battle. Trying to stop him from doing one of his ridiculous plans.

And they weren't even evil in the first place. Not that I wanted them to be.

I opened the front door and went inside the kinda rundown-looking house.

"I'm home." I said.

"Oh hey. There you are, Arle. Where've you been?" Amitie asked.

"I was with Schezo looking at this cave he said you guys helped him find."

"Oh, yeah. That cave. It was a lot harder than we thought it would be. Took the whole day to find it."

"I see." I then looked around the room to see it was just Amitie and Melody, who was still asleep. "Where's Ally?"

"She left a note. Apparently, she's spending the night at Lidelle's house."

"Really? Wow, I guess she finally found something to do."

"At Lidelle's expense, though."

I didn't really know what she meant by that, so I didn't reply to that statement. Amitie then turned to Melody and repeatedly hit her on the head with a pillow she had in her hand.

" **H-Huh?! Wh-What?! What happened?!** " Melody shot up like a rocket when she felt the impact of the pillow. Dazed and confused about what was happening.

"Mom. You slept all day again." Amitie said.

"Huh? I did? Oh wow. I guess this work really has me drained."

"Work? You mean you're still working on your light-novel? I thought you finished it."

"I did. But as Akuma and I were about to make copies of it, a random strain of wind came by and blew a majority of the pages into a nearby fireplace. Burning them to a crisp. And I've been rewriting those pages since."

"Oh, wow. That sounds horrible." I said.

"It's not all that bad. There were some cheesy parts I didn't like."

"When did this all happened?" Amitie asked.

"Uh…3 days ago."

"So, you've been sitting here rewriting pages of your book **for 3 days?!** "

"Yeah…pretty much."

 _Wow. Such dedication._

"Mom…when was the last time you ate something?" Amitie noticed that Melody was looking weaker than she should be. I noticed it too, but Amitie beat me to it.

"Uh…3 days ago."

…

…

…

"Mom…you're taking the day off tomorrow." Amitie said.

"B-But…"

" **NO BUTS! YOU SHOULDN'T BE OVERWORKING YOURSELF LIKE THIS TO THE POINT YOU'RE SKIPPING MEALS! I ALREADY LOST MY FATHER, I DON'T WANT TO LOSE MY MOTHER, TOO!** " Amitie's yelling scared me a bit. I didn't think she would be the type of person to demandingly yell at her mom. Or anyone for that matter.

 _Then again, she did yell at me when we first met._

Melody didn't respond to the outburst. But I see tears roaming down her face. It must have hit her in the face real hard. She grabbed Amitie and held her in a tight hug, while Amitie was doing the same.

"Thank you, Ami. Thank you so much." Was all she said.

"Your welcome…Mommy." Was all Amitie replied.

I tried not to cry during this emotional moment but ended up failing. And was silently crying to myself.

* * *

It was getting late, so Amitie and I ended up taking a bath together. After we washed our hair and stuff, we were sitting in a tub filled with hot water feeling more relaxed than before.

" _Ahhh…_ " We both said.

"This feels nice, doesn't it Arle?"

"Yeah, it really does."

We sat there in silence for a little longer before bringing up another conversation.

"Hey, Amitie. What did you mean by you losing your father?" I asked.

"O-Oh. That…" Amitie started to tense up a lot. Her body was shaking with what looked like fear and sadness. I felt like I made a huge mistake.

"W-Wait, you don't have to answer that! I regret asking in the first place! Please feel better!" I tried calming her down.

" _R-Really? Don't you want to know?_ " She asked.

"If it's going to make you upset, then no I don't."

"Th-Thanks, Arle. You're a good friend."

Seeing Amitie smile made me smile a bit. For some reason, it reminded me of how Sig smiled today. And how he said that my name was cute. The thought of it made me blush a little.

…

…

 _Why am I thinking of Sig at a time like this?! In a tub completely naked with another girl who's also completely naked! That's so not normal!_

"Hey, Arle, you okay? You're blushing a little." Amitie said.

I snapped back into reality after hearing Amitie's voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"Of what?"

"What I did today. I was with Schezo today and on my way home, I…well…met someone today."

"Met someone? You mean like a boy?"

I nodded my head _yes_.

"Wow, Arle. Look at you. Only been here for a week and you already found a boy to like."

"H-Hey, it's not like I'm in love with him or anything! I only met the guy a few hours ago!"

"You don't know…it could happen."

"It could?"

"It did for me and Raffina."

"Yeah...I guess." I started blushing again.

 _C-Could it…really happen?_

"So, what's he like? Is he cute? How tall is he? What's his personality? How old is he?"

"Amitie. I would love to answer all of your questions about him, but I think you forgot that we're sitting in a bathtub together completely naked."

Amitie realized where we were at this moment in time and stated blushing out of embarrassment.

"O-Oh yeah, s-sorry. I get really excited when talking about romance stuff." She said.

"It's okay, as long as you noticed. You wanna get out now? I'm getting kind of hungry."

"Oh yeah, right. We have to get some food for my mom, too. Let's go!"

We got out the tub and dried ourselves off. After we got dressed, we exited the bathroom and found something to eat for dinner. With Melody being the most grateful for it.

When we went to bed, I kept having dreams of me and Sig doing what we were doing earlier. It kept waking me up at times with a blushed face and my heart racing.

 _Aw geez, another sleepless night, huh? Well, at least it's a good reason this time._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Arle and Sig meet for the first time. And have a great day together. But now Arle can't stop thinking of him. What could this mean?!**

 **Well, if you've read the original Love of Puyo Puyo Tsu, then you should already know what it means.**

 **Something I've been wanting to do for a long time was to change Sig and Chu's last name. "Demone" was just demon in Italian and I honestly hated it. But up until now, I couldn't think of a better one. So, I'm glad that I finally got that out of the way.**

 **I should be doing regular updates again now. The period of testing out new ideas is over for now. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	31. The Copy's Name

**Chapter 31 – The Copy's Name**

 **Raffina's POV**

" _Lily. Is there anything to drink?_ "

"Check the fridge, Miss Raffina."

" _Okay!_ "

"You're calling her Raffina?" Amira asked Lily.

"Well, she technically is Miss Raffina. Although, with a few minor differences."

"Minor? Not to be mean or anything, but she's a complete idiot."

" _Lily. Where's the fridge?_ "

"In the kitchen, Miss Raffina."

" _Okay!_ "

…

…

"Yeah. I've noticed." Lily said once the other me had left the lounge area.

"But other than that, it's been really confusing telling the two apart. They look so identical. Down to the mediocre breast size."

" **They're not mediocre!** " I yelled as I shot up from the couch. Scaring both my sister and my maid.

"Were you there the whole time?!" Amira asked me.

"Yeah. I was. And I don't appreciate you making insulting lies about my breast size!"

 _Even though I told everyone that I'm a D-cup when I'm actually a B. I was nervous, okay? Even I get self-conscious about it._

"Well, geez. _Sorry._ " Amira said in a sarcastic tone.

"Why were you on the couch, anyway?" Lily asked.

"I slept here. I can **NOT** share a room with her! She whines about not wearing my more cuter nightgowns. And not only that, she's a wild sleeper. Every few minutes or so, I get kicked off the bed and land hard on the floor. So, I've been sleeping on this couch."

"I see."

" _Lily…_ "

"Yes, Miss Raffina?"

 _Wait, why is she calling_ _ **HER**_ _Raffina?!_

" _I found this really cool orange-y juice in the fridge. Can I have it?_ "

"Orange-y juice?" Lily then went silent for a bit. " **W-Wait a second! Don't drink that!** "

" _Aw! But I'm thirsty! And this juice looks cool!_ "

"It's not juice. It's…"

"Sex on the Beach?" Amira asked as she read the label out loud.

" _ ***whine***_ _Damnit! Why did you read it?!_ "

"W-Wow, Lily. You drink alcohol?"

"And not only that…Sex on the Beach?" I asked.

"L-Look. It was my favorite drink back in college. Th-There was this beach party and I had just turned 21…it was one of the drinks being served and…"

"Oh, I get it now." Amira said. "You were trying to get laid!"

" **I-I was NOT!** " Lily then began to blush.

"Wait, so you're still a virgin and yet you like to drink Sex on the Beach? That's kinda ironic right, Sis?"

"Amira…" I was about to retort her. But then I thought about it for a second. "You know, that is ironic. You drank **THAT** and you still didn't get laid? Did you do it wrong or something?"

" **Th-That is none of your concern! Now quit talking about it!** " Lily's face was now completely red at this point.

"Yes, Lily." We both said.

" _So, can I have the orange sex juice?_ "

 _ ***snicker***_ _Orange sex juice…_

…

 _Oh, God! Ally's pervertedness is starting to become a part of me!_

"No, Miss Raffina. You can't have it." Lily said as she took her alcoholic drink away from my copy.

" _Aw!_ "

"Okay, that's four times already. Why do you keep calling her Raffina?" I asked Lily.

"Because she **IS** you, Miss Raffina. If it bugs you so much, then why don't you just give her a name?"

"Give her a name?" I then went silent for a bit. "Oh, yeah. Can't believe I haven't done that yet. Hey, what do you want your new name to be?" I asked the copy.

" _New name? But my name is Raffina._ "

"No, that's **MY** name. You can't have **MY** name."

" _No, that's_ _ **MY**_ _name! You can't have_ _ **MY**_ _name!_ "

" **Gah! Are you serious?!** Fine! There's only one way to settle this!"

" _Yeah! Only one way!_ "

"Let's…"

" _Let's…_ "

…

…

" **ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!** "

" _ **ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS!**_ "

"Seriously? You're going to decide your name over Rock, Paper, Scissors?" Lily asked with a sweatdrop.

"Well, we don't have anything else, Lily."

"Yeah." Amira said. "It's not like we can solve our problems by simply popping four rainbow jellies of the same color and make chains and crap."

"How did you even come up with that?" Lily asked her.

"Well, I _**may**_ have sneaked a sip of your Sex on the Beach…"

" _ **Miss Amira…**_ "

"Alright, shush. We're starting." I said as I stared at myself. "Winner gets to keep the name "Raffina". Got it?"

" _Got it! Prepare to lose, copy bully!_ "

 _Tch! This girl…_

"Alright! Let's go!"

Now, I'm not sure how most people play Rock, Paper, Scissors nowadays. But this is how I learned it. Daddy taught me it when he called me via video chat from a place called Japan.

Never heard of such a place. But this technique is apparently popular there. So, it must be good. And thus, will let me keep my name. This copy's going down!

So, this technique…it actually goes…

"First comes rock! Then comes paper…"

" _First comes rock! Then comes paper…_ "

"You can't throw all of them."

" _You can't throw all of them._ "

" **Rock, Paper, Scissors!** "

" _ **Rock, Paper, Scissors!**_ "

…

…

"What?! A tie?!"

" _What?! A tie?!_ " We both whined when we both played rock.

"Wait, what the hell did you just do?" Amira asked.

"What? This is how I play Rock, Paper, Scissors."

"With that stupid dance?"

"And what was with that chant? It sounds kiddie-like." Lily added.

" _It's not kiddie-like! Daddy taught me it!_ " My copy whined.

"You mean Daddy taught _**ME**_ it."

" _Nuh-uh! Daddy taught me!_ "

"You little… **again, damnit!** "

" _ **Yeah! Again, damnit!**_ "

"First comes rock! Then comes paper…"

" _First comes rock! Then comes paper…_ "

"You can't throw all of them."

" _You can't throw all of them._ "

" **Rock, Paper, Scissors!** "

" _ **Rock, Paper, Scissors!**_ "

…

…

" **Another tie?!** "

" _ **Another tie?!**_ " We both whined as we both played paper.

" **You cheat! Why do you keep copying me?!** " I yelled.

"Didn't you hear what Mister Akuma said earlier?" Lily asked. "He said that you two share memories. Meaning that everything the original knows, the copy knows as well."

"S-So, if we keep doing this…"

"It'll be an endless loop of ties."

" _ ***sigh***_ Damnit."

" _ ***sigh***_ _Damnit._ " We both said.

"Well, now what?" I asked.

" **Ta-da!** It's Yu!"

"And Rei."

Suddenly, we received two unexpected visitors. Being the twin ghosts Yu & Rei.

"Yu? Rei? What are you two doing here?"

"Making a _spooktacular_ delivery for one Amira Fielding!" Yu cheered as she made a package appear from…I really don't know.

"Alright! My package came!" Amira said as she took the package.

"Wait, so you deliver mail now?"

"Nope!"

"We just keep getting her mail." Rei added.

" _Ugh._ It's that stupid postal worker." Amira said. "I keep telling her to freaking change my address but she never does it. How did she get the idea that I live in Nahe Forest, anyway?"

"Who knows, Miss Amira." Lily said.

 _Aw, crap. Did I forget to change it back?_

"So, what were you guys doing?" Yu asked.

"We're trying to give the other Raffina a name." Amira said. "But so far, it's only led up to a stupid version of Rock, Paper, Scissors."

"Huh?"

"I-It's not…n-never mind." I said. Now feeling embarrassed about the whole thing. "Look, we just to name her so that there be less confusion. _And so that I can get my room back._ "

"Hmm…Ooh, yeah! Maybe you should name her based on your name!"

"Huh? Based on my name?"

"Sure, why not? Since you're basically twins."

"Yeah, but mostly fraternal."

"So are we." Rei said.

"Oh, yeah."

"So, a name based on Miss Raffina's…how would that work, exactly?" Lily asked.

"Well, thanks to Dad, Raffina and I are part French. So, maybe we should stick to that." Amira suggested.

"That's true." I then starting thinking of French names that relate to mine. Or, at least, start with an R. "How's about…Raphaelle?" I asked my copy.

" _Ew, no._ "

"Then what about…Rafaella?"

" _No way._ "

"Rafaila?" Amira asked.

" _No._ "

"Raffelle?" Lily asked.

" _No!_ "

…

…

"Ooh! How about RaphaÃƒÂ«lle?" Amira asked again.

" _ **I don't even know how to spell that!**_ "

 _Among other things…_

"Geez, you're picky." I said with an annoyed tone.

"Just like you, Little Sis."

"Just like you, Miss Raffina."

" **Sh-Shut it, you two!** " I yelled at my sister and maid.

"What about Raina?"

"Raina?" We all asked Rei.

"It means "Peaceful Strong Queen" in French.

"Oh, yeah. It does." Amira and I said.

"Wait, you know French?" Yu asked her twin brother.

"A little. Can't speak it, though."

"Huh."

"So, how about it?" I asked my copy.

" _Raina…Raina. Raina! Yeah! I like it! Call me Raina Fielding!_ _ ***giggle***_ "

" _Ugh._ Finally."

"Nice to meet ya, Raina." Amira said.

"It'll be a pleasure to serve you, Miss Raina." Lily said with a bow.

" _ ***giggle***_ _Thanks a bunch!_ " My copy, now known as Raina, cheered some more.

"Great." I said. "Now that you have your own name, it's time you get your own room!"

" _Huh? You mean I can't stay in my room?_ "

"That's _**Raffina's**_ room. Which is me. You need one that's _**Raina's**_ room. Got it?"

" _ ***whine***_ _Can I at least have some Sex on the Beach?_ "

" **Wh-What?!** " Yu yelled with a huge blush on her ghostly face.

"Th-The drink! She means the drink!" Lily and I yelled.

"O-Oh. O-Of course…"

" _ ***giggle***_ Wow, Yu. I didn't think you would have a dirty mind like that." Amira teased.

"I-It's not dirty! I-It's just…w-well…"

"I don't get it. How is it dirty?" Rei asked.

"Well, it starts with…"

" **O-Okay, we're leaving now! Bye, guys!** " Yu panickily yelled before warping out of the mansion with Rei.

 _Does Rei not know what…_ _ **that**_ _…is? Wait, how old were they when they died?_

"So, what's in the package, Amira?" I asked.

"Hmm…if I remember correctly…" Amira opened the box and…" **Yes! My tequila has arrived!** "

"T-Tequila?! Miss Amira!" Lily yelled.

"What? I'm 21."

"I'm aware of that. But you of all people should **NOT** drink tequila. Trust me, you wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Wait, so you drink tequila too, Lily?" I asked. And now us three Fielding sisters were waiting anxiously for our long-time maid to give an answer.

…

…

…

"G…Give me the damn bottle." Lily snatched the bottle of tequila from Amira and left the lounge area with it. With us pretty positive that she's gonna drink it herself.

"Geez. Lily's more adult than I thought." I said.

"Yep."

" _Yep._ "

With both of my sisters agreeing with me.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **So, now it's finally official. Raina has joined the cast of Love of Puyo Puyo. She's probably going to be the only new character in this rewrite. Maybe. I think I have one more in mind. But we'll see.**

 **So, now that Raina's officially in, here are the differences I was talking about. In this story, Raina does not float. Nor does she have the orange markings all over her body. And finally, she's not half a soul. Other differences will come in the future. But these are the main ones.**

 **I don't think I've mentioned this before. But Raina's personality is partially based on Raffina's alternate voice in 20** **th** **Anniversary. Which makes her sound whiney and scared. It's one of my two favorite alternate voices in the series (the other being Feli's in Puyo Puyo Tetris) and I often think of Raina having that voice. I think it fits her.**

 **Next chapter begins the Summer Festival Arc. And it's here that I've been wanting to fix one of the main problems I've had with the original Love of Puyo Puyo Tsu. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	32. Freshly Sweet Melodies

**Chapter 32 – Freshly Sweet Melodies**

 **Raffina's POV**

"Seriously?! That's why she's been sleeping so much?!"

"Yeah. It's really taken a toll on her. She's even skipped meals just so she could keep up."

"Geez. Poor Melody."

It was the next day and Amitie and I were sitting on a bench in the park. Talking about what we did yesterday such as the incident Melody went through and how she pretty much starved herself to fix it. Amitie managed to convince her to take a few days off. And earlier this morning they both showed up at my house. With Melody staying with Amira and Lily and us two going to the park to meet up with everyone else.

"So, you gave your clone a name, huh? What was it?" Amitie asked.

"It was a struggle. But she finally settled on the name Raina. It means "Peaceful Strong Queen" in French."

"Wait, what? You know French?"

"I didn't tell you? I'm part French."

" **For real?!** " Amitie got excited over that for some reason.

"Yeah. What's with the excitement?"

"Because, Raffina! I'm part French, too!"

" **Wait, the hell?! are you serious?!** "

"Dead serious. And it comes from Mom, none the less."

"Melody's French?!"

"Yep. She was even born there, too."

"Woah. I couldn't tell at all."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah. We get that a lot." Amitie said with a smile. "So, what about you?"

"My dad's French. I'm not sure where he met my mom at. But that gene of his passed on to Amira and I. We can even speak French a little. Although, mine ain't that good."

" _Get real!_ I wanna hear it!"

"Why? I just said that it ain't good."

"But it's still our native language. And besides, at least you can speak it. It's hard for me."

"I see. Well, I guess I can teach you some of it. Since we're technically French girls."

"Really?! Oh, thanks a bunch, Raffi! You're the best!" Amitie cheered as she gave me a kiss.

The surprise kiss was amazing. But one other thing did catch my attention.

"Uh…Raffi?"

"What? It's a nickname I just thought of. It fits you well."

"That's just the first five letters of my name."

"So? Mom and my friends back in Konoko Valley called me "Ami" and that's just the first three letters of my name. So really, yours has more effort put into it."

"Yeah, but…"Raffi" sounds so cheesy.

" _Come on. Just try it, please?_ " Amitie began to whine as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"You really like it, do you?"

" _Why do you think I'm whining?_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Ami…" I then went silent for a bit. Thinking about this rather carefully. "Okay, fine. I can at least give it a try."

"Yay! Thanks, again…Raffi. _***giggle***_ "

"You're already having too much fun with this." I said with a straight face.

"Oh, really? You just called me Ami just now."

"Tch! Cr-Crap!" I covered my mouth in embarrassment.

" _ ***giggle***_ _Admit it. You like the nickname._ " Amitie teased.

"I-I…w-well… _ ***sigh***_ fine, damnit. You caught me. But don't go crazy with the nickname, please. I'm still getting used to it."

"Alright, I will. Just like I won't get up on you for lying about your B-cupped breasts."

"Y-You figured it out, huh?"

"I knew for a while. Based on how many times I've rested on your shoulder."

"It was Ally's fault. She asked that question out of nowhere and…"

"Yeah, I know it's her fault. The girl just doesn't understand sensitivity. I don't know how she's comfortable talking about that kind of stuff."

"Because I'm not as innocent and pure as you, Ami."

…

…

" **GAH! Wh-What the hell?!** " Amitie and I turned around to see Ally standing behind us. With Lidelle being with her.

" **W-Were you two listening the whole time?!** " Amitie asked.

"Not the whole time." Lidelle said.

"We showed up around the time you started talking about lying about your breast size." Ally added.

 _Damnit! I was hoping she wouldn't hear that part!_

"So you're a B-cup huh, Raffina? Looking at you now, I can _**definitely**_ see it."

"Wh-Whatever, Ally. At least I'm not that far off from you."

"Yeah, true. I'll give you that…Raffi."

" **Y-You heard that, too?!** " I yelled in shock.

"Oh, wait. Did I not say that? Whoops."

"Whoops?! I'll whoops your face in if you tease me with that!"

"Okay, okay. I get it. No need to be threatening, Raffina."

"Good." I said with a relaxed sigh as I sat back down on the bench. "So you went to stay at Lidelle's house, Ally?"

"Yeah. I was bored and I landed on Lidelle while I was climbing a tree in the plaza."

"Why were you climbing a tree in the plaza?"

"Because I was bored. Wouldn't you climb a tree if you were bored?"

"No."

"No way." Amitie said.

"I still don't understand why that was your first choice." Lidelle said.

"Ah, whatever. I, uh…I-I still had fun with you, Lidelle."

"R-Really? W-Well, I'm glad you think so."

 _Huh? Why are they blushing? Did something happen with these two?_

"Hey, are you two okay?" Amitie asked. "Did something happen last night?"

" **Wh-What?! O-Of course not! Nothing happened! Right, Ally?**!"

" **Y-Yeah! Wh-What Lidelle said! Nothing happened whatsoever!** "

"Then why are you both blushing?" I asked.

" **I-It doesn't matter!** " They both yelled.

" _Ugh._ You two are acting weird."

"Yeah, tell me about it, Ami."

"Wait, did you just call her Ami?" Ally asked.

 _Well, that was a quick convo change!_

"Yeah. I told her she can call me by my nickname." Amitie said.

" _Aw_ , that's sweet. Did you give Raffina one?" Lidelle asked.

"Yep! It's…"

"Ami!" I yelled.

"O-Oh yeah. I forgot."

"Aw, come on, Raffina! I wanna know what it is!" Ally whined.

"And if it's cheesy, it'll be good payback for earlier." Lidelle added.

" _Tch! Damnit!_ "

"Just say it already. They're not going to stop." Amitie said to me.

"Alright, fine!" I yelled. I took a few deep breaths and prepared to get it over with. "My nickname…is Raffi. Okay?"

"Raffi?" Lidelle and Ally started grinning hard as they were trying to hold in their laughter. They clearly failed, as they fell to the ground laughing their asses off.

" **H-Hey! Sh-Shut up! It's not that funny!** " I yelled.

Lidelle and Ally eventually stopped laughing and stood up on their own two feet again, wiping away any tears of laughter that were still on their faces.

"We're sorry." They both said.

" _ ***sigh***_ It's fine. Just know that Ami's the **ONLY** person who can call me that."

"Call you what?" Said a new voice.

We turned around to see Klug heading towards us. It's been a while since we've all been together. So we decided to invite him to…whatever it is we decide to do.

"Hey, Klug! Guess what? Ami and Raffi gave each other nicknames!" Ally shouted.

"Uh…Raffi?"

" **ALLY!** " Both Amitie and I yelled.

"Oops. Guess I already forgot."

 _I guess they both have bad memory skills…_

"What kind of nickname is Raffi?" Klug asked.

"Please don't start, Klug. I've already had enough embarrassment for one day."

"If you wish."

"Hey, guys! Sorry, we're late!"

We heard another new voice and turned to see Arle along with Schezo heading our way. Arle had left Amitie's house early to get Schezo because she's the only person who knows where his cave is.

"Hey, Arle! Schezo! Guess what?"

" _Ally, I swear to God…_ " I said.

"Oops. Sorry again, Raffina."

"Hey, uh…Klug, was it not? Where did you acquire that book?" Schezo asked as he pointed at Klug's book that he always carries with him.

…

…

 _Wait a sec…_

"You know, now that I think about it…where did you get that book?" I asked.

"And why do you like it so much?" Lidelle added.

"I don't think I've ever seen you without it." Amitie said.

"Oh, this? It's called the Record of Sealing. I bought it from the library."

"Th-The what?" The four of us being his classmates were rather shocked that Klug had a book with such a name like that. It doesn't even answer the question of why he has it all the time.

" _Hmm…_ "

"Wh-What?" Klug asked Schezo.

"That book…I sense a great power coming from it."

"W-Well…I-It's probably nothing. S-Seems fine to me. _Hehhehhehheh._ "

"Cease with the lies."

"I-I'm not lying! It's just a normal book! What, you want me to prove it or something?!"

"Hmph. Very well. Then with my dark magic, I shall scan that book cover to cover! And _under the covers_ , as well!"

…

…

"Uh…what?"

 _ ***sigh***_ _Not again…_

" _Wow, Schezo. I didn't know you swung that way…_ " Arle said to him in a teasing way.

"Huh?" It took Schezo awhile to realize what he just said, but when he did…" **GAH! DAMN IT! WHY DO I KEEP DOING THAT?!** "

Arle started laughing while he kept telling her to shut up. Meanwhile, Klug was left with a confused look on his face.

"So, does he do that a lot?" He asked.

"From what Arle told me…yes. He does." Amitie said.

"I see…I guess?"

Around this point, Arle and Schezo were done going at it with each other and were catching their breaths from Arle laughing and Schezo yelling.

"Hey, Arle. Nice clothes." I said once I noticed Arle's new outfit.

"Really? Wow, thanks. I like them, too."

"Arle and I went to Oshare's two days ago and he picked that out for her. She really seemed happy with it." Lidelle said.

"Damn. I'm actually jealous that Arle got it first. It would've been perfect for me and my fighting skills." I said.

"Really?" Arle asked with shock. "Hey, maybe I can start training to be a fighter! I might even be good at it!"

"I doubt it." Schezo said.

" **Hey!** "

" _Hey! Raffina!_ "

 _Damn. That voice. How did she know I was here?_

Running up to us was my newly named clone, Raina. I tried ditching her so that I can be with my friends without her annoying the hell out of me. But somehow, she found me.

"Gah! Why are you here?!" I yelled at her.

" _I was bored! There was nothing for me to do and Lily won't let me have some Sex on the Beach!_ "

" **WH-WHAT?!** " Everyone shouted with some amount of blush on their faces.

"The drink! She means the drink! Lily drinks that stuff, apparently!"

"O-Oh. R-Right."

"There's a drink called Sex on the Beach?" Arle asked.

"Such a weird world this is…" Schezo said.

 _ **THAT**_ _makes it weird to you two?!_

" _ ***sigh***_ _You idiot._ " I mumbled under my breath. "And what are you even wearing, anyway?"

Her outfit consisted of an orange short-sleeve jacket with a hood in the back. Completely unzipped to reveal a plain white t-shirt with the edges orange. The rest contained a pair of baggy black shorts and a pair of orange and white sneakers that looked worn-out as all hell.

She didn't even fix her hair. It's all straightened out and messy. Like she just got out of bed or something.

" _What? Fashion is hard. So I just put on whatever._ "

"Put on whatever?! You can't just "put on whatever"! You're **ME**! I'm trying to keep an image here and you'll ruin it dressed like that!"

" _Am image? You mean like a picture?_ "

" **No, not like a picture!** "

" _ ***whine***_ _I don't get it._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ _This clone…_ " I said while pinching the top of my nose.

"Aw come on, Raffi. Go easy on her. She's trying." Amitie said. "Hello, Raina. Nice to officially meet you. I would introduce myself, but I'm sure you know who we are."

" _Yeah. I know. We share each other's memories. Among other things. Like how we both have some pretty small boobies._ "

" _ **Pfft!**_ **Baahahahaha! Oh, my God! She actually said it! Oh, my freaking God! Gaahahahaha!** " And just like that, Ally had broke down laughing. While I was trying to preventing myself from murdering both Ally and my clone right here right now.

"R-Right." Amitie said with a sweatdrop. "L-Let's just go already."

* * *

The 8 of us decided to just walk around having random conversations (me mainly calming down from earlier) until we found something to do. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for that to happen, as something came up to us in a panicked state.

Or is it… _ **someone**_?

"Ribbit! Ribbit Ribbit!"

"Wh-What…is **THAT**?" Amitie asked.

"Is that…a frog?" Ally asked.

"No, it's an acorn…right?" Arle asked.

"Whatever it is, it's kind of cute." Schezo said.

"Ribbit! Rib-ribbit!"

"Oh hello, Dongurigaeru. How's it been?" Lidelle asked him.

"Don…what?" The previous four looked more confused than I was when I was watching Amitie and Ally play that weird game last week.

"Dongurigaeru. He's a frog that rolls around in an acorn top. He lives in the pond near Nahe Forest." I explained before looking over to where Lidelle was. "And also…"

"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"

"Wow. That's some morning. I'm just glad you're okay."

"Ribbit!"

"…Lidelle's the only person in town who can understand what he's saying." Klug finished my sentence.

" **How?!** " The confused four asked.

"We have no idea." Klug and I answered.

"Ribbit! Ribbit!"

"So, uh…what's he saying, Lidelle?" Amitie asked.

"He said that he left the pond in order to find some food and when he came back, there was a girl sleeping on the tree there." Lidelle translated.

"Huh? A girl? What did she look like?"

"Rib-Rib-Ribbit."

"He said she had pink hair and was wearing a white dress. Also, he couldn't tell, but it looked like she had wings."

"Wait, a pink-haired girl wearing a white dress and maybe having wings? Hey, doesn't that sound like…" Arle asked Schezo.

"It has to be, right? The description sounds rather accurate."

"So, you guys know who this girl is?" I asked.

"Maybe…" Arle said. "But we're not too sure. Maybe if we saw her ourselves, we'll know for sure."

"Ribbit. Ribbit. Rib-rib-ribbit."

"Dongurigaeru said he'll take you there. Anything to get the girl off his tree."

"Really? Uh, thanks uh…little guy."

"Ribbit-Ribbit!"

* * *

Dongurigaeru took us to his pond in the middle of the park where we saw the girl sleeping on the lone tree branch. Arle and Schezo took one good look at her then smiled at each other.

"No way…it is her!" Arle yelled in shock.

"So, she has ended up here as well, I see?" Schezo asked.

"Looks like it. Don't worry, little guy. We'll get her off your tree." Arle said to Dongurigaeru.

"Ribbit!"

Arle began inhaling a deep breath and placed her hands next to her mouth.

" **HEY! HARPY!** " She yelled.

The girl woke up from her nap and looked over to where I guess her name was called. Her eyes lit up when she saw who called her out.

"H-Huh?! Arle?! Schezo?!" She yelled as she spread her wings and flew off the tree towards them, breaking the branch in the process. "It is you, right? I didn't drink another one of Wicchi's potions, did I?"

"Yes, Harpy. It really is us." Schezo said.

" **YAY!** "

The girl grabbed both Arle and Schezo and began to fly up towards the sky with them in hand. The rest of us down here were amazed (and somewhat confused) at what we were seeing.

" **YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I'VE MISSED YOU GUYS! I'M SO HAPPY!** " She said.

"Yeah, we've missed you too, Harpy… **BUT CAN YOU PLEASE PUT US DOWN?!** " Arle shouted.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." The trio eventually came back down and the girl let both Arle and Schezo go.

"So you two do know this girl?" Klug asked.

"Huh? Oh right, we do." Arle said before clearing her throat. "Everyone, this is our friend, Harpy. She's also from our world."

"Howdy-do! Name's Harpy! Nice to meet ya!" Harpy said cheerfully.

" _Wait, did she say…from her world?_ " I whispered to Amitie.

" _Yeah, she did. I think this Harpy girl came out of the mirror just like Arle and Schezo._ "

" _Should we bring it up?_ "

" _Let's wait until later._ "

"Whoa. So are you like, an **ACTUAL** angel?" Ally asked.

"Yep! The real deal!"

"So…Awesome!"

"Ribbit. Ribbit."

"Huh? What was that, Dongurigaeru?" Lidelle asked him.

"Ribbit. Ribbit. Ribbit."

"What's he saying, Lidelle?" I asked.

"He said he's mad at the angel for breaking his tree branch. And wants it to leave."

"Oops. Sorry, little green thing." Harpy said, rubbing the back of her head.

"Ribbit."

" **G-Geez, Dongurigaeru! It's not that big of a deal for you to say something like** _ **that**_ **!** "

"What did he say?" Amitie asked.

"Uh…I don't…I don't feel comfortable repeating it." Lidelle said with a mild blush on her face.

The rest of us looked at her with nothing but confused looks.

* * *

With nothing else to do, we decided to head for the plaza. While walking, we got know Harpy a little bit. For starters, she's 14. I always thought that angels were ageless. She's also…kind of an airhead. Not because she flies. But because she finds the most common things here interesting, futuristic, and "totally tubular".

Then again…Arle was like that when she first appeared and she still is today.

 _Although, she never said "totally tubular". The hell does that mean?_

And mainly…

"Wow really, Harpy? You like to sing?" Lidelle asked.

"Sure do! I sing whenever I get the chance to!" Harpy replied.

"Sounds like you have fun doing it, too." Amitie said.

" _Yeah!_ " Raina cheered." _Can we hear you sing? Please?_ "

" **NO!** " Arle and Schezo yelled.

" _ ***whine***_ _Why the **** not?!_ "

" _She had to get_ _ **THAT**_ _trait from you huh, Raffi?_ "

" _Shut up, Ami._ " I whispered to her.

"Harpy has a terrible singing voice. It'll make your ears bleed." Arle said.

"Wow, Arle…that's pretty mean to say. I thought she was your friend." Ally said with a disappointed look on her face.

"She is, but…"

"Yeah! And besides, I've gotten better!" Harpy defended herself.

"Harpy, you've been saying that for years. And yet you never do." Schezo counterclaimed.

" **Hmph**. Fine! Then I'll prove it right now!"

" **HARPY, NO!** " Both Arle and Schezo yelled again.

But it was too late. Harpy had flown to the top of the nearest building and stood on the roof. She cleared her throat and began singing. I was expecting for my ears to bleed like they said they would.

But…But instead, I heard:

" _Os iusti meditabitur sapientiam_

 _Et lingua eius loquetur indicium_

 _Beatus vir qui suffert tentationem_

 _Quoniqm cum probates fuerit accipient coronam vitae_

 _Kyrie, fons bonitatis,_

 _Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison_

 _O quam sancta, quam serena_

 _Quam benigma, quam amoena esse Virgo creditur_

 _O quam sancta, quam serena_

 _Quam benigma, quam amoena_

 _O castitatis lilium_ "

The entire time Harpy was singing, I felt light tears running down my eyes. I've never such beautiful singing before. I look over to the others to see that I wasn't the only one. Amitie, Ally, Lidelle, Raina, and even Klug all had sheds of tears on their faces.

The only two that weren't crying were Arle and Schezo, who had looks of disbelief on their faces. And I can understand why.

 _H-Holy crap! Th-This girl…h-her singing is amazing! I've never heard such beautiful singing before! I can't replicate that even if I try!_

" _Kyrie, fons bonitatis,_

 _Kyrie, ignis divine, eleison_

 _O quam sancta, quam serena_

 _Quam benigma, quam amoena_

 _O castitatis lilium_ "

When Harpy had finished singing, we all clapped for her as she took a bow. She then flew off the roof of the building and stood with us on the ground.

" _ ***sniff***_ Wow, Harpy… **THAT WAS AMAZING!** " Ally shouted, still emotional.

"You're a natural! A goddess even!" Klug added.

"I've never head such beautiful singing in my life!" Amitie claimed.

"I agree! It was so mesmerizing!" Lidelle said.

"It was so good, I think my heart skipped a few beats!" I said.

" _Awesome! Awesome!_ " Raina cheered.

"Wowie! Thanks, everyone! That really means a lot!" Harpy said while rubbing the back of her head. A little embarrassed of all the praise she was getting.

"Wow, Harpy. I've got to admit, you really did get better." Arle said.

" _ ***giggle***_ See? I told you."

"Apologies for us ever doubting you." Schezo said.

"It's okay. In a way, saying that I'm a bad singer is like saying "Arle's totally a tomboy!" or "Schezo's totally a pervert!"."

" **I-I'M NOT A TOMBOY!** "

" **I-I AM NOT A PERVERT!** "

"See? We're relatable~!"

 _I don't see how being bad at singing can be related to being a tomboy and a pervert…_

"So this is where the singing was coming from." Said a new voice. We looked over to see Lemres heading towards us.

"Mr. Lemres? You heard it too?" Lidelle asked.

"You kidding? The whole town heard. I just happened to be nearby."

"You hear that, Harpy? The whole town heard your singing!" Ally cheered.

"Harpy? Is that who this is?"

"Hiya! Name's Harpy! Nice to meet ya, Tall Green Dude!"

"T-Tall Green Dude…"

"Harpy!" Arle yelled at her. "Sorry, Lemres. Harpy's kind of an airhead."

"Like a balloon?" Harpy asked Raina, who was standing next to her.

" _I think she means the candy._ "

" _Ooh_ _!_ Yummy!"

"See what I mean?" Arle asked Lemres.

"Yeah…I see it now."

"See what?"

" _See what?_ " Both Raina and Harpy asked as they tilted their heads in confusion.

" _It's like if they're twins…_ " Lidelle whispered to the rest of us.

" _Yeah, I know._ " Amitie whispered back. " _Not sure if it's a good thing or a bad thing._ "

" _Oh, come on. It could be a good thing._ " Ally said.

" _It better be a good thing._ " I said. " _If Harpy can be friends with her then it could get her out of my hair for a good while._ "

" _You really hate your clone, do you?_ " Klug asked me.

" _W-Well…I-I wouldn't say_ " _hate_ " _. She's just a pain in the ass most of the time._ "

The four of them then stared at me with exasperated looks. I knew what they wanted to say. And the thought made me angry.

" _Don't any of you_ _ **DARE**_ _say it! I'm warning you!_ "

" _Fine. We get it._ " They all said with a sigh.

"Hey! Arle!"

We heard another new voice and looked over to see…actually…I didn't know who this boy was. Must be new here or something.

He had light-blue hair and was wearing a dark-blue t-shirt, some black sweatpants with some kind of bug print on the left side, a pair of black & white shoes, and a grey jacket with three black lines on each sleeve.

But what was weird about him was that he had a blue eye and a red eye, a red claw-looking arm, and a…ladybug on his head?

 _Does he not notice it?_

"Oh. Hey, Sig!" Arle said as she waved to the boy.

"What was that singing just now?"

"Oh, that. That was my friend, Harpy."

"Huh." Was all the boy said.

"Why did you sound disappointed when I said that?"

"Well…" The boy started blushing a bit on his non-emotional face. "I kinda thought it was you."

"R-Really?!" Arle asked.

"Yeah. It sounded cute. Reminded me of yesterday when I…said that your name was cute."

"O-Oh. D-Did it now?" Arle was now blushing at this point.

 _Oh? What's this now?_

"Hey, nice outfit." The boy suddenly changed the subject.

"You think? I got it a few days ago."

"Yeah. You look like a real fighter."

" _ ***giggle***_ Thanks, Sig."

"Uh, hello? Earth to Arle…" Schezo nudged her shoulder.

"Huh?" It looked like Arle forgot where she was at the moment, and when she did realize, she got rather embarrassed.

"S-Sorry, guys." She said.

"Arle, is this the boy you were talking about last night?" Amitie asked.

"Yeah. This is…"

"Sig." The boy interrupted her.

"What he said. I met him…"

"Yesterday." Sig interrupted her again.

"Yeah, what he said. He moved here…"

"Two days ago." Sig interrupted her for the third time.

"Are you going to let me finish?" Arle asked him.

"Finish what? There's nothing left to say."

"Hmph. Meanie." She then began to pout.

"Uh…okay, then." Amitie said. Not knowing what else to say.

* * *

After we got introductions out the way, Klug and Schezo went home. So it was just us girls and this Sig boy at Lemres' shop eating some ice cream. Well, most of us were. Harpy kept staring at hers like she's never seen ice cream before.

"Whoa…what _**is**_ this stuff?"

Okay, maybe I was right.

"What? You've never eaten ice cream before. Harpy?" Ally asked her.

"Ice…cream? What's that?"

" _It's the most super-duper most yummiest thing in the whole wide world!_ " Raina cheered with excitement from having her first ice cream.

"Well, that one way of describing it. Come on, open up! I'll feed you some!"

"Okay!" Harpy opened her mouth and Ally fed her some ice cream.

Next to her, I saw Lidelle intensely staring at the two. Ally noticed too and took another scoop of ice cream as she turned to her.

"H-Here, Lidelle. H-Have some too." She said to her with a mild blush.

"U-Uh…s-sure, Ally. Th-Thank you." Lidelle stuttered with the same mild blush. She opened her mouth and Ally fed her the spoonful of ice cream. After that, they just looked away from each other.

 _I swear, something happened between those two. But if we ask again, they're just going to deny it. One day they'll slip up, though._

"Hey, thanks for the free ice cream, Lemres!" Amitie said in delight, not noticing what went on with Lidelle and Ally.

"No problem, Amitie. I needed to make room for the stuff I'm going to make for the summer festival, anyways."

"The summer festival? Oh, yeah. I forgot about that." I said.

"How did you forget? You live here." Lidelle retorted.

"Well when I go, I'm usually with Amira and Lily. And those two didn't **exactly** make them memorable.

"I see."

"So you guys have a summer festival here too? Sweet! It's been so long since I've been to one!" Ally said.

"Yeah, me too! I bet it's going to be fun!" Amitie added.

"Hey, Arle. What are they talking about?" Harpy asked her.

"No idea, Harpy." Arle said. Being just as confused as Harpy.

"Oh, right. You guys don't know. A summer festival is an event where we go out at night and play games, eat tons of food, and watch fireworks." I explained.

"Wow, fireworks?! That sounds cool!" Arle said.

"Wait…fire…works? So they're giving jobs to balls of fire?" Harpy asked.

 _Just how much of an airhead is this girl?_

Ally busted out laughing at what Harpy thought fireworks were.

"No, silly! Fireworks are rockets that go up in the sky and go **BOOM!** " She said.

"Go boom?"

" _Go boom?_ " Harpy and Raina asked.

"Yeah, boom! Only you gotta say like… **BOOM!** "

" **BOOM!** "

" _ **BOOM!**_ "

" **BOOM!** " They all said the last one together.

 _The Idiot Trio has been formed…_

" _Ooh!_ This summer festival thing sounds fun! I really wanna go!" Harpy said.

" _Yeah! Me too, me too! Can we go, other me?! Please, please, please?!_ "

" **Okay!** " I yelled at my clone. "We were going to go in the first place, you dope!"

" _Oh, yeah..._ "

"Hey, we can all go together." Amitie said. "It'll be a fun night for all of us."

"Yay!" Harpy cheered.

"Hey, Sig. You want to go to the festival with us?" Arle asked him.

…

…

"Sig?"

Sig had a dead blank stare on his face. And the ladybug that rested on his head was now flying above him. Just minding its own business. None of us could tell what he was looking at until Lemres came by and waved his hand in front of Sig's eyes.

"Yep. He's asleep." Lemres said.

" **WITH HIS EYES OPEN?!** " Amitie, Lidelle, Ally, Arle, and I yelled in shock.

" _Cool…_ "

"Totally tubular…" Raina and Harpy said in amazement.

"Arle…your friend is weird." I said.

"Yeah. I know." Was all Arle said before we went back to eating our ice cream. The only part that was normal about this day.

 _Then again…I think our normal days are forever gone at this point._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **The Summer Festival Arc begins with the first appearance of Harpy! Not much has changed about her inclusion. I'm still keeping the idea of her having a good singing voice. As previously stated, she had a good voice in the Madou Monogatari games. But when Puyo Puyo came along, it was changed to her having a bad one.**

 **The main thing that I did changed was that I replaced the Brawl Main Theme reference with something else. The song is called Lilium and it's apparently from an anime called Elfen Lied. I've never heard of it. I just typed "Latin orchestral music" into YouTube and it was one of the first things that popped up. It's a good song, at least.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	33. Very New & Very Lewd Feelings

**Chapter 33 – Very New & Very Lewd Feelings**

 **Ally's POV**

" _Ah_. _That felt nice._ " I said as I came out the shower. Feeling nice and refreshed all over my body.

"You were in there for a long time again, Ally." Ami said to me. "Please don't tell me you were doing **THAT** again."

I didn't answer. And as the room went silent for the few seconds, Ami already figured out the answer.

"That is so gross."

"Hey! One of these days, you're going to be doing it, too!"

" **AS IF!** "

"It makes you into a _**real**_ woman. Right, Melody?"

"No, it doesn't." Melody answered. What makes you into a _**real**_ woman is losing your vir…"

" **MOM!** " Ami began to blush

"Sheesh, Ami. You can't play this "innocent girl" thing forever."

" **IT'S NOT THAT I'M INNOCENT! I JUST DON'T WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM MY MOTHER OF ALL PEOPLE!** "

"Hmph. Your lost." Melody then went back to sleep. Still on that forced day off Ami made her go on.

"Uh…what are you guys talking about?" Arle asked with a confused look on her face.

"Masturbation." I said.

" **ALLY!** " Amitie yelled.

"Uh…why?" Arle was more confused than earlier.

"I don't know. I've been doing it a lot lately. And I mean more than usual."

"Uh, okay…" Arle grew a sweatdrop. "…Do you think it's because you're…well…"

"Well, what?"

"Uh…c-come closer."

Arle then whispered what she was suggesting in my ear. And I honestly couldn't believe she thought this up.

"Sexually frustrated? That's ridiculous. I'm still a virgin."

"Well, it could happen. Even if you've never done it yet."

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe it is the reason why I've been going overboard with rubbing my pu…"

And then the next thing I knew, I was thrown out the house by Ami.

" **SERIOUSLY! YOU NEED TO LEARN HOW TO KEEP YOUR DAMN PERVERTED THOUGHTS TO YOURSELF!** " She yelled with a heavy shade of red on her face before slamming the door in front of me.

Normally, I would be banging on the door right now begging Ami to forgive me and let me back in. But today, I'm kinda glad she threw me out. I need to be alone with my thoughts.

My _**non-perverted**_ thoughts.

I've been having these thoughts for the past two days now. Ironically, two days ago was my sleepover at Lidelle's house. I remember having so much fun with her. Playing a ton of games, ate a lot of food (It's really shocking that Lidelle could eat so much), playing with her weird dog(?) Poochy, who at one point reminded me of my late pet cat.

And…later that night….I-I actually said those words to her. It made my heart skip a few beats. A-And when I asked her to stay on my futon with me and accidentally snuggled up against her. Th-The fact that she didn't try to push me off and instead got closer to me…

I've never felt happier than that night. Not even when I saw Ami for the first time in months. Since that night, I couldn't stop thinking about Lidelle. And I'm pretty sure that's the reason why I've been doing…well… _ **th-that**_ more often than I normally do. Thinking of her while doing it made it 10x better! But afterward…I would just feel all depressed about it.

 _What is_ _ **WRONG**_ _with me?! Thinking of one of my best friends while pleasuring myself?! I really am a pervert! Not to mention that best friend is_ _ **ANOTHER GIRL!**_ _I'm not gay! I really am not!_

…

…

 _But…but why do I feel so empty when I say it? Why do I feel like I'm lying to myself? Is it supposed to mean something? I'm so confused!_

"Ally…"

"Ally…"

" **Ally!** "

" **H-Huh?!** "

I was so lost in my own perversely messed up mind that I didn't notice that I ended up in the middle of the plaza nor did I hear Harpy calling my name. I guess I was in too deep.

"Oh hey, Harpy."

"Ally!" Harpy hugged me in excitement. Even though we've only met yesterday, she's become one of my best friends. Along with the same rank as Ami and Ayumi. She doesn't make me as happy as being with Lidelle (for some reason), but she's a close second.

"Hey, you won't believe what I found!" Harpy said.

"What did you find?"

"A brand-new home!"

"Really? Where?"

"There's this _**really**_ tall tree in the middle of this _**really**_ pretty patch of flowers! Come on, I'll show ya!"

"Alright! Then without further ado… _ **Let's fall in love!**_ "

"Fall in love? Why would we do that?" Harpy asked with a puzzling look.

 _Crap! I said it again!_

"U-Uh…wh-what I meant to say was…" _ **Let's go have lots of fun!**_ "."

" _Oh_. **Okay! Let's go!** "

 _Thank God she believed it._

* * *

Harpy took me to this new home she found…which wasn't exactly how she described it. This " _ **really**_ tall tree" was wide at the bottom and skinny at the top. The top also had four slabs attached to this oddly-shaped gear in the middle of it.

"Well, what do you think? Pretty tubular tree, right?" Harpy asked, waiting eagerly for my response.

 _Am I supposed to know what tubular means?_

"Uh, Harpy…that's not a tree. That's a windmill." I said.

"Wind-mill? What's that?"

"It's a building type thing that moves whenever the wind pushes on it."

" _Oh._ That explains why I kept getting hit in the face with flower petals last night."

"Wait, you **slept** here last night?"

"Yeah. The thing itself was pretty uncomfortable, too. It was hard as bricks!"

"Well, it **IS** made of bricks." I said with a sweatdrop.

"Oh, yeah."

 _So, Harpy's looking for a place to call home in this world, huh? It looks like she's already getting used to being in a completely different world. Good for her!_

"Hey, you wanna go pick some flowers with me? There's like a ton of them here." Harpy asked.

"Sure! Let's go!"

"Fall in love?"

"Tch!" I-I froze a bit after she just said that. "H-Harpy, that was an accident. You shouldn't repeat that."

" _Oh…_ Okay!"

The two of us ran through the huge flower patch surrounded by tons and tons of different colored flowers. There were so many that I've never seen before. At least, not back in Konoko Valley. But this one particular flower caught my eye.

"Hey…this flower…for some reason, it looks very familiar. Where have I seen it before?" I asked myself. Harpy was further away rolling in the flowers so she didn't hear me.

I then remembered where I saw this flower before. It was at Ami's birthday party…where I first met everyone…including Lidelle. She gave Ami this flower as a present. Said it was called a…Moon-Sun Flower.

" _ ***sigh***_ _It looks really pretty. Just like Lidelle..._ "

…

 _Wait, did I just say that Lidelle was…pretty?!_ _ **GAH!**_ _What's going on with me?!_

I slapped myself a little bit. Hoping it would clear my mind of these weird thoughts. But then I kept staring at the flower. It kept reminding me of Lidelle. Basically how pretty they both are.

My heart was racing really fast and pounding so hard. It almost felt like I was having a heart attack. I didn't know what this feeling was, but I was starting to believe that it would be the death of me until…

"Hey, Ally? You okay?" I heard Harpy ask me. I snapped back into reality and turned to face her.

"Huh? Oh. Hey, Harpy. Well, to be honest…no, I'm not." I said.

"Is it me? Did I do something to make you upset?"

"What? No. You're perfectly fine. It's mostly me that's caused it."

"I don't get it."

 _ ***sigh***_ _Of course, she wouldn't._

"I'm just gonna go home. Thanks for the fun, Harpy. Even though it was short-lived."

" _Oh. Okay then. Bye, Ally._ " Harpy said with a sad look, almost like she was about to cry. It actually hurt me seeing Harpy like that. I wanted to stay…but with how I'm feeling right now, I would just kill the mood.

So I at least gave her a huge hug to make her feel better. And soon after, walked through the flower patch trying to find a way out. While I was hugging Harpy, however, I plucked the moon-sun flower off the ground.

For some reason, I didn't want to leave without it.

* * *

It took a while for me to get out of that flower patch. Almost a 30-minute trek. But I did eventually get out and ended up in the middle of the park. Where there were a moderate amount of flowers. I was never going to go home. It was just an excuse to not make Harpy worry.

I really just wanted to be alone. As these weird feelings have put me in a confused state. I don't know what they mean or what am I supposed to do about them…it was hurting my head so much that I was about to cry. Maybe if I talk with someone…but who?

 _Ami? She's my best friend and I'd normally go to her for stuff like this, but I think she's still mad about this morning._

 _Raffina? No. She's already suspicious about the way I'm acting. She'll probably make it worse._

 _Melody? She'll probably fall asleep during the middle of it._

 _Arle? Eh…I don't know. We already had a talk about masturbation and being sexually frustrated. I think I weirded her out enough already._

That's all the people I'm with most of the time. I can't think of anyone else that I could go to. I looked at the moon-sun flower in my hands as I began to cry to myself, just about to give up on this weird feeling. That is until…

"Well, now. I didn't think I would find you here of all places, Ally." I looked up from the flower and saw someone that didn't think I would see around here.

"M-Ms. Accord? What are you doing here?" I asked my former short-lived teacher.

"Oh, I usually come here when I'm on a break from teaching remedial classes to just relax and look at the flowers and such other things. It clears my mind of any problems I have."

"You…have problems? I thought you were perfect."

"She may look so, but she actually has tons of problems, meow." Popoi said.

" **P-Popoi!** " Ms. Accord yelled at him in embarrassment.

"What? It's true, meow."

"Oh, wow. That's actually good to know." I said.

"What's wrong, Ally? You seem upset." Ms. Accord asked.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm completely fine."

…

…

"Wh-What?" I grew uncomfortable with how Ms. Accord was staring at me.

"Ally…please do not lie to me."

"H-Huh? W-Wait, you can tell?!"

"Of course. I can tell when any of my students are feeling down. Well, I should say _ex_ -students."

"O-Oh, yeah. Right."

"So, what's wrong? Come on, you can tell me. I'll try to help as much as I can." Ms. Accord said as she sat next to me on the bench.

 _Can I really tell her? I mean, I'm out of options at this point. And if Ms. Accord's willing to help, I might as well._

I took a deep breath and stared at the flower again. I felt like if I didn't figure out these feelings soon, I was going to suffer at some point down the road.

"Well, it started two days ago…"

I told Ms. Accord about how I went to spend the night at Lidelle's house and how we had so much fun. I also mentioned Poochy's cat transformation, the connection it had to my dead cat, and what I said to Lidelle about her being gay. And what happened after that.

I even brought up how weird I felt when I fed her a spoonful of ice cream yesterday. And even how me accidentally snuggling up against her felt so damn good.

The only thing I left out was the whole touching myself thing. That's something I would never tell **ANY** adult. Let alone my ex-teacher.

After I was done, Ms. Accord sat on the bench with her finger on her chin with what looked like a thinking face on her.

"I see. Sounds rather interesting to me don't you think, Popoi?"

"Yep. And the answer's really obvious, too." Popoi said.

" **R-Really?! It is?! Tell me! Tell me!** " I shouted eagerly.

"Now, now, Ally. If we just told you what the answer is, you would feel bad for not figuring it out yourself. Wouldn't you agree?" Ms. Accord asked.

…

…

"Y-Yeah. I-I guess that's true." I said after thinking.

"Anyway. You and Lidelle seemed to have gotten along really well recently."

"Oh yes! And we have so much in common, too! We both like video games and manga and animals and ice cream and the color green and eating and…"

"Ally…"

"Huh? O-Oh. S-Sorry." I said rather embarrassed.

"It's okay. You seem to like being around her."

"Y-Yeah, I do."

"I see. What's that you got in your hand? Is that a Moon-Sun Flower?"

"Yeah, it is. I remember Lidelle giving this to Ami for her birthday. I didn't think of it much then. But when I think about it now…how she has one and I don't…I get this sudden boost of…of…of…"

"Jealousy, meow?" Popoi asked.

"Yeah, that! And I don't know why, either!"

Popoi whispered something to Ms. Accord and she giggled a bit while smiling. I didn't know what it was she found funny at this point. But I was hoping it wasn't about me. Being laughed at is the last thing I need right now.

"If you don't mind Ally, I would like to ask you a few questions. Is that okay?" Ms. Accord asked.

"Uh, okay. I guess." I said. Unsure of where this was going.

"Alright. Question 1: Do you _like_ Lidelle?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?"

"Just answer it, meow." Popoi said.

"Okay, okay. Yes, I like Lidelle. I like her a lot."

"Great. Question 2: On a scale of 1-10, how much would you say you _like_ Lidelle?"

"10! No doubt about it! I really really like her!"

Ms. Accord giggled at my response.

"Okay. Question 3: If you had the choice, would you rather be here with me or with Lidelle?"

I thought about for a second. While talking to Ms. Accord did make me feel a lot better, I still felt a little…empty inside.

"No offense, Ms. Accord. But I'd rather be with Lidelle right now."

" _ ***giggle***_ I thought you'd say that."

"Wait, what?"

"Last question: If you were to replace the word "like" from the first two questions with any other word, what word would that be?"

"Replace the word "like"? Well, the only logical choice is to replace it with the word that's better than "like", right?"

"That is correct." Ms. Accord said with another giggle.

 _Where is she going with these questions?_

"Well, then. It was nice seeing you again, Ally. Have fun in high school. Say hello to the others for me." Ms. Accord then said as she suddenly got up from the bench and began walking away.

" **H-Hey! W-Wait! What were those questions for, anyway?!** "

"Oh. I should probably tell you, huh? Well…keep in mind of what you answered…and just listen to your heart."

"Listen to my heart? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, you'll know when you figure it out. Goodbye for now, Ally."

And so with that said, Ms. Accord left me standing in the middle of the park confused as all hell.

With nothing else to do and with it getting late, I decided to just go home. Hoping Ami has calmed down from this morning. While walking there, I gave some thought on what Ms. Accord said earlier.

 _Remember my answers? Listen to my heart? What the hell did she mean by all that?_

 _Let's see…I do like Lidelle. On a really high scale, even. And I'd rather be with her than Ms. Accord…_

…

 _O-Or anyone, for that matter…I really like Lidelle that much._

…

 _Like…Like, huh? To replace that word with something better, that word would be…_

…

 _W-Wait…c-could it be? I-Is it really true?_

I looked at the Moon-Sun Flower that still in my hands. I felt my heart beating hard and fast as the flower kept reminding me of Lidelle. I remember her saying that she has a ton of these at her house. I'm actually sad that I never got to see them when I was over there.

" _I bet they're just as pretty as Lidelle is…_ "

I caught myself saying that. But unlike the first time, I didn't react. Instead, I leaned my back against a nearby building, holding the Moon-Sun Flower close to my chest as I felt my heart pounding like crazy.

I think I finally understand what Ms. Accord what talking about. What all these weird feelings were trying to say to me all this time. There's no denying it now. It's the truth. And I've finally accepted it.

 _I…I've fallen in love…with Lidelle._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Ally's recent excess in pervertedness is finally explained. As she has realized that she is in love with Lidelle. Will the other return the feelings?**

…

 **Okay, it's obvious that she will. Since this is a rewrite. I was just trying to sound cool. It's harder than you think.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	34. A Rivalry Reborn

**Chapter 34 – A Rivalry Reborn**

 **Amitie's POV**

 _Takes place on the same day as Chapter 33._

"Thanks for meeting up with me." I said to Raffina as we were sitting at some burger restaurant that had just recently opened near her house.

 _Come to think of it, this part of Primp looks really elite. Is Raffina really that loaded?_

"It's fine, Ami. But what was the problem, anyway? You sounded pissed on the phone."

"Ally."

" _Aw, geez._ What did she do this time?"

"Well…" I started blushing while remembering what came and what was about to come out of Ally's mouth.

"H-Hey, Raffi. Y-You mind if I whisper it to you?"

"Uh…sure." Raffina looked confused about the whole thing. But I was glad that she agreed to it.

I leaned over whispered what happened earlier into Raffina's ear. And soon enough she started blushing.

" **S-SERIOUSLY?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THAT GIRL?!** "

" _I ask myself that almost every day…_ " I said following a sigh. "But other than her perverted thoughts and actions, Ally's a really great friend."

"Hmph. I don't see it."

"Raffi…"

"Okay, fine. Explain."

"Thank you." I said with a giggle. "Back when we lived in Konoko Valley, it was just me, Ally, and a friend of ours named Ayumi. The three of us are childhood friends and did everything together. Like going to the same school and having many sleepovers when we were younger. It was so much fun."

"I see…"

"That is until…until _**that**_ happened…"

"A-And by _**that**_ , you mean…"

"The…The assaults.

"R…R-Right."

Raffina and I always get uncomfortable whenever we bring up this topic. Knowing that I almost died twice because of it still haunts my memories. And the fact I brought Raffina into it and it almost killed her, too…

…

…

 _That alone…It makes my heart ache every time I think about it._

"H-Hey…Ami?" Raffina shyly said. Noticing the tears forming in my eyes.

" _ ***sniff***_ _I'm okay, Raffi. Really, I am._ "

"You don't look okay…"

"I'm fine, really. Just know that Ally was a good friend during that time. And she still is today…despite her flaws."

"Okay then…"

"Here's your burgers, ladies. I do hope you enjoy." The waiter said as he brought our food to our table.

"Thank you, sir." We both said. Once he left, we looked at the burgers in front of us.

"Geez, these things are huge." Raffina said.

"And they're pretty heavy, too." I added as I picked up the burger and held it in my hands. After we each took one bite of it…

…

…

…

…

" _H…Holy crap…_ " We both said. We looked down at our burgers for a bit then stared at each other's mind-blown faces.

…

…

" _This is…_ "

" _Truly this is…_ "

…

…

" **THIS IS THE BEST BURGER I'VE EVER HAD!** " We both shouted with total glee. We then continued to devour the burgers. And then when we finished, we each order another to go.

" _Haa…so delicious._ "

Without any guilt whatsoever.

* * *

After we ate the burger of our dreams, we decided to just walk around town enjoying our time alone with each other. Something we haven't done in a while.

"So what do you wanna do now, Ami?" Raffina asked me.

"Hmm…not sure. The whole reason I wanted to get out of the house was because of Ally. But now…I don't know what else to do."

"Yeah, the same with me. I seriously needed to get out of my mansion. Amira and Raina were driving me insane!"

"I see. So, now it's not just one sister teasing you. It's one sister teasing and the other is complaining all the time.

" _ ***sigh***_ _What did I do to deserve this, Ami? I'm a good girl…most of the time._ _I-I mean I rescued you, didn't I? Where's my reward?!_ "

" _ ***giggle***_ Silly. You already got your reward." I said as I hugged Raffina tight around her body.

"Oh, yes. How can I forget? I've got the best reward in the world." Raffina was staring into my eyes with her own sky blue ones. I felt her love deep inside my soul. Such a beautiful thing to feel. Although, not normal.

We slowly leaned forward towards each other preparing for a kiss. Soon, I would be connecting my lips once more to the…

 ***SLAP***

" **Gah! What the hell?! What just hit me?! I can't see!** "

"Ami, calm down! I got it!" Raffina said as she took the (now known) piece of paper off of my face.

" _ ***pant* *pant***_ Th-Thanks, Raffi. I feel kinda stupid reacting to a piece of paper like that. Does it even say anything?"

"Hmm…oh, it's a flyer for the Summer Festival. It must've flown off somewhere."

" _ ***whine***_ _Why'd it had to hit my face, though? I really wanted that kiss._ "

" _ ***giggle***_ You're so needy when you whine." Raffina laughed at me.

" _Shut up!_ "

That reminds me. I still have to get a new yukata. My old one doesn't fit anymore."

"Yeah, I need a new one too. My body kinda grew out of my old one."

 _Expect in the chest area…_

"Well, we can go buy them right now if you want."

"Is Oshare _**really**_ the only person in town who sells them?"

"Unfortunately…"

Both of us sighed at the thought of wearing a ridiculously patterned yukata picked out by Oshare. Claiming that it's so "psychedelic".

"Let's just get it over with." I said.

"Yeah, you're right." Raffina agreed.

* * *

We then began walking to Oshare's store. Excited to get new yukatas but worried about what they would look like. We were about 5 minutes away when we saw someone up ahead.

"Hey, isn't that Harpy over there?" Raffina asked.

"Yeah, it is her. She looks kinda sad, though. Wonder what happened."

"Who knows…"

"I'll ask. Hey, Harpy!"

Harpy looked up at us with a sad look on her faces. She was happy to see us. But the sadness took over her emotions.

"Oh. Hey, Amitie. Hey, Raffina." She said with a sorrow tone.

"Harpy, what's wrong? You look depressed." I asked.

"Well, I was with Ally showing her my new living spot. Then when we went playing in the flowers nearby, she got sad and said she was going home. And now I'm alone…and bored…and hungry…and thirsty…and bored."

"You just said "bored" twice."

"Did I? I didn't notice."

Raffina and I gained a sweatdrop from hearing such a thing.

 _Wow, Arle was right. She really is an airhead._

"A-Anyway, Harpy. Did you try talking to her?"

"I did. But she said she wanted to be alone. And sounded really really sad when she said that. Which made me really really sad, too."

"I see. We should go look for her."

"Hold on, Ami. Maybe we should just let Ally have her space." Raffina suggested.

"But I'm worried, Raffi. I've known her for years. It's not normal for the words "Ally" and "sad" to appear in the same sentence. Something's definitely upsetting her."

"I get that you're worried. But really, what's going to happen if you just show up bombarding her with questions? You may make her more upset."

I didn't want to admit it, but Raffina's right. If I just run up to Ally in the state she's in, especially after I threw her out the house this morning, it might ruin our friendship.

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright, Raffi. You've convinced me." I said.

"I'm so happy you're not stubborn." Raffina said back with a smile.

"But I'm still sad…and alone…and bored…and…"

" **Okay, Harpy! We get it!** " We both yelled at the airheaded angel. Raffina then looked back at the flyer in her hands and soon gained an idea.

"Hey, Harpy. You that you like to sing, right?"

"Sing? Oh yeah! I love singing! It's the most tubular thing in the world and it makes me really really happy!"

"Then how about you enter the summer festival's singing competition?"

…

…

"The what?" Harpy looked at us with a puzzled look on her face.

"A competition is an event where you get to compete against other people in order to win 1st place." I explained.

" _Oh!_ That sounds super-duper tubular! I wanna try! I wanna try!"

"You should. You have an amazing singing voice."

" **HA!** As if this _**child**_ has a chance of beating me!" We heard a new voice coming from behind us. I heard Raffina growling next to me with both her hands in the form of a fist and her face looking like she's pissed as hell.

" _Damn! I know that voice! I wish I didn't…but I do!_ " She said while completely filled with rage.

We looked over to see a girl with purple hair wearing a white off-shoulder shirt with dark purple (and kinda evil looking) heart prints on it. Along with some black capri jeans and some grey & white sneakers.

But what struck me the most from the girl were two things. The first was that she had a single black horn sticking out from the right side of her head. The second was…she had these weird purple markings all over her body. Her arms, her legs, and even part of her face was covered with them.

Whoever this girl was, she was definitely not normal.

" _Oh_ , Raffina. Didn't see you there. Guess my 20/20 vision has blinded me from how, what's the word…irrelevant you are to me."

" _Grr…_ Damn it, Peruvis! I thought you moved away for good!" Raffina shouted.

"Huh. Still have a potty mouth, do we? No wonder you got thrown out of martial arts class."

"You mean after **I** won the tournament?" Raffina teased with a smug on her face.

" _Why you…_ you've got some nerve to bring that up!"

"Hmph! Look who's talking!"

The two girls continued to stare at each other with a dark aura around them and looks on their faces that would make others think that they're about to kill each other. Harpy was trembling in fear behind me, shielding her eyes from the encounter with my hair.

"Sc-Scary…" She whispered in my ear.

To be honest, I was too. But someone has to stop these two from going at it in the middle of town.

"H-Hey. Raffina…" I softly said while tugging on her shirt sleeve. I called her by her full name because I felt like calling her Raffi would make things worse.

"Huh? Oh sorry…Amitie." Raffina said with a short break in the middle. I guess she had the same thought as me. "You guys probably want to know who this _**thing**_ is, right?"

"Excuse me?! This _**thing**_?! How **DARE** you refer to me as such?!" The purple-haired girl yelled.

"Shut it, you thing!" Raffina yelled back.

" _Why you damn little…_ "

"Raffina…" I tugged on her shirt again.

"Right, sorry. Anyway, this _**thing**_ is named Peruvis. She and I used to be in martial arts class together. Although I wish we weren't."

"Hmph. I second that." Peruvis added.

"No one asked you, thing!"

" **QUIT CALLING ME A THING, YOU DAMN IMBECILE!** "

" **WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN IMBECILE, YOU DAMN BLOCKHEAD?!** "

" **Raffina!** " I yelled this time. At this point, I was starting to lose interest in this whole thing.

"S-Sorry, Amitie…" She said softly.

"Wait… _ **you're**_ Amitie?" Peruvis asked me.

"Yeah, why?"

"You're the one who found the Red Puyo Hat, aren't you?"

 _Th-The Red Puyo Hat?! H-How does she know about that?! O-Okay, Amitie. Stay calm. Maybe she just heard about it from the news or something. Just play it cool._

"Yeah, I did. But how…"

"I demand that you give the Red Puyo Hat to me at once!"

 _ **WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!**_

"Hold it, Peruvis! You don't _**demand**_ anyone! Let alone, my girlfriend!" Raffina shouted.

"Y-Your…Your _**girlfriend**_?! Since when were you a lesbian?!"

"I've only realized recently, but I guess I've been one all my life. _Jealous_?"

"Tch! So, now…not only was I second in the tournament, but also second in finding my true love?! **This freaking sucks!** "

"True love?" I asked. "Wait, Peruvis. Are you…"

" **N-No, I'm not a lesbian!** " Peruvis started to blush a little.

"Then why did you get jealous over Raffina having me? Sounds kinda misleading."

"Because, you Phoenix Wright impersonator. I'm upset that she found someone to love faster than me. I may be looking for someone, but I'm not so desperate, that I'll go gay. I'm a perfectly normal straight girl. I want pringles in my taco, if you catch my drift. _***giggle***_ "

"Uh…" I had no idea how to respond to that.

"I don't get it. What's a lesbian?" Harpy asked. Now saying something after a few minutes of staying silent due to fear.

…

…

"Uh…I'll tell you later, Harpy." I said to her.

 _I really hope she forgets to ask again…_

"A-Anyway, is that what sparked this rivalry you guys clearly have?" I asked Raffina and Peruvis.

"Well, one of them." Raffina said. "As I said, we were in martial arts class together and we would often compete against each other for the top rank. Which, by the way, belongs to me."

" _Ooh!_ " Harpy said in amassment.

"It would've been mine if I had a bit more strength…" Peruvis said.

"Strength? From what? That pathetic little wisp of yours? No offense, Phoenix."

"None taken." Suddenly a white ghost-looking thing with black eyes appeared out of Peruvis' back.

" **AHHH! WH-WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!** " I asked, kinda scared.

"This is my slave, Phoenix. He does whatever I say whenever I tell him to." Peruvis explained.

"Well, aren't you a pathological liar…" Phoenix retorted.

" _What did you say?!_ "

"The name's Phoenix. The one part she got right." He continued. Completely ignoring Peruvis. "I'm a soul that lives in her body and gives her the energy to live."

"A soul that lives in her body?! How is that possible?!"

"Well, my dear Amitie." Peruvis re-entered the conversation. "I am basically half devil and half tortured soul. The latter is a being who technically doesn't exist in this world. It happened due to a horrific incident that left me dead. Don't ask about it, though. I don't want to talk about it."

"W-Wow…that sounds horrible."

"A-And scary…" Harpy added.

"Yeah I admit, it's a sad story." Raffina said. "But that doesn't excuse you from using that power to cheat your way through the last tournament."

" **For the last time, I didn't cheat! You're just freaking jealous!** "

"Of what? You dying? Who the hell would be jealous of that?"

"She's got a point." Phoenix said.

" **Shut it, Phoenix!** " Peruvis shouted at him.

"Hey, Peruvis, I've been meaning to ask you…how do you know about the Red Puyo Hat?" I asked her.

"That's because I'm trying to collect them all."

" **WH-WHAT?!** Wh-Why the hell would you want to do that?!" Raffina and I yelled.

"Oh? So you two don't know?" Peruvis teased.

"Kn-Know what?" Raffina asked.

Peruvis giggled a bit while having a smug look on her face. "Well let me enlighten you girls. Legend says that if the 5 Puyo Hats are brought together, they grant you a wish of your desires."

"Th-They do?!" We both asked.

"Yep. And I plan to claim that wish for myself. Now tell me where the hat is."

"L-Listen, Peruvis." I said. "The reward may be amazing, but what those hats do to you when you put them on isn't worth it. Trust me."

"Huh? What do you mean? They're perfectly fine. And I'll prove it, too. Phoenix! Bring the item!" Peruvis said with a snap of her fingers.

…

"Phoenix!"

…

" _ ***sigh***_ _For God's sake…_ Phoenix, can you _**please**_ bring the item for me?" She asked in a polite tone.

"See? Now was that so hard?" Phoenix said while patting her head.

"D-Don't rub it in!" Peruvis blushed from embarrassment.

Phoenix went back into Peruvis' back and a few seconds later came back out with something related to the thing we thought we would **NEVER** see again.

" **TH-THE YELLOW PUYO HAT?!** " Once again, we both shouted.

"Surprised?" Peruvis asked in a teasing way.

"Wh-Why the hell do _**you**_ have it?!" Raffina asked her.

"Like I'm going to tell you! All you need to know is that it's mine! And once I win the singing competition at the festival, the Green Puyo Hat will be mine, as well!"

" **TH-THE GREEN PUYO HAT?!** "

"It's rumored to be the grand prize for 1st place." Phoenix explained. "When Peruvis heard about it, she packed all her stuff and came back here. It was actually hilarious seeing her that excited over something that may or may not be true."

"Ph-Phoenix!" Peruvis shouted with a faint blush.

"Aw, lighten up, will ya? I was only messing with ya."

 _This is crazy! Peruvis has the Yellow Puyo Hat! And the Green Puyo Hat is rumored to be the prize for the singing competition! If this wish-desired legend is true…_

"A-Anyway…don't get in my way, you weird-looking angel girl. The less effort the better." Peruvis said.

"You're not going to take that, are you Harpy?" Raffina asked.

…

…

"Harpy?"

We looked over to see Harpy slumped over next to a streetlamp completely knocked out. The rest of us had a mixed reaction of confused, shocked, and just straight up amazed.

"D-Did she fall asleep…in the middle of town?" Peruvis asked.

"Yeah. She's a bit of an airhead." Raffina answered.

"Is that normal nowadays?" Phoenix asked.

"No. No it's not." I answered.

* * *

It took us a while to wake Harpy up, and when we did, she kept complaining that she was hungry. So we took her back to the burger place and ordered her a burger. Like us, she really enjoyed it.

"Wowie! This burger thing is super-duper yummy!" She cheered.

(FYI, we had to explain to her what a burger was. Apparently, whatever world she, Arle, and Schezo came from doesn't have those either.)

"Right? It's so good, we ordered seconds for later." I said.

"Ooh! Can I get a second one, too?! I don't have any of that "money" stuff you told me about."

(FYI, we had to explain to her what money was too.)

"Later, Harpy. Right now, we to discuss how you're going to win the singing competition." Raffina said.

"Huh? I need to win? I thought I was only having fun."

"Well, now you need to do that **AND** win."

" _Aw, why?!_ " Harpy whined. " _Is it about that hat thing that scary purple girl had?_ "

Raffina and I looked at each other in pure shock.

 _She was awake during that?! When did she fall asleep?!_

"Uh…yeah, Harpy. That's exactly it." I said.

"It is? What does that hat do, anyway?"

"W-Well…" I had to think of a way explain it to Harpy while making sure I didn't confuse her even more than she already is.

"L-Let's just say it does _**really**_ bad and _**really**_ scary things." Raffina said. "Things that are _**very**_ untubular."

" _Oh!_ I get it now!"

" _Nice save._ " I whispered to her. Raffina replied to me with a wink of her eye.

"So, do you get it now, Harpy?" I asked her.

"Yep! I'm gonna win that competition and keep that hat from doing any bad, scary, and untubular things! I'm so excited, that I'm gonna go home now and practice! See ya, you two!"

Harpy then flew off to wherever her new home was. We kinda forgot to ask her (along with "what the hell does tubular mean?"). The two of us slumped down in our seats exhausted from what today brought us.

" _ ***sigh***_ I can't believe that we have to deal with the Puyo Hats again." I said.

"Yeah, I know. I thought we were done with them for good." Raffina added. Then she looked at me with a face of huge concern.

"What?"

"Don't "what" me! I'm worried about you!"

"I know you are. To be honest, I'm scared too. But these are the last two Puyo Hats. Once Harpy wins the green one, we'll be able to keep it from doing any harm."

"Yeah, but Peruvis has the yellow one. And trust me, convincing her to give it up is damn near impossible."

"Well, we still have to try, right? As long as nobody puts them on…once they're sealed up, we won't have to deal with them anymore."

"Yeah, true. Plus, there's that legend Peruvis mentioned about."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot." I went silent for a bit. "Gee. A wish of your desires. What would we wish for?"

We sat there thinking of all the possible wishes the hats could grant. And in our minds, the bad outweighed the good.

"O-On second thought, a "wish of our desires" would just as bad as putting the hats on. D-Don't you think?" Raffina asked.

"Y-Yeah. I-If not worse."

After we ate another burger, we decided to head on home for the day. We were about to part ways when Raffina grabbed my hand.

"Hey, Ami…"

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Back when I was arguing with Peruvis…thanks for not calling me Raffi then." She gained a faint blush on her cheek, which I found to be cute. I then gave her a quick kiss on her lips and looked at her with love-filled eyes.

"You're welcome…Raffi."

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **I'll be honest. Peruvis is most likely my favorite Quest character. I'm not really sure why, though. I just really like her. I hope that she becomes playable in a mainline Puyo game in the future. I mean, Hed is playable. Why not her? That would be awesome.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	35. Absent-Minded Siblings

**Chapter 35 – Absent-Minded Siblings**

 **Arle's POV**

 _ ***moan***_ _Geez. Why did Ally have to talk about_ _ **THAT**_ _yesterday? Now, I feel dirty for helping her with her problem._

…

…

 _Although…I-I guess it's normal to think of such things at her age. I'm no different from her…_

…

…

 _Gah. I need to stop thinking about it._

I was laying down on a bench in the park once again. Listening to my inner thoughts. I've been doing this a lot lately. Ever since I've met Sig the other day.

In fact, he's been the main topic of these inner thought readings.

 _He's really…how should I say it…odd. B-But in a nice way. He's really smart when it comes to bugs…_

…

…

 _But…that's basically all I know about him. He didn't really tell me about himself or his life. Other than the fact that he moved here recently. That's something we have in common…sort of._

I went deeper into my mind with these thoughts about Sig. One particular thought made me blush in my cheeks a little.

"Plus…he's also kinda cute."

"Who's cute?"

" **GAH!** "

I screamed a little as I jumped up from the bench slightly scared out my mind. As I fell to the ground, I looked up to see Sig standing over me. With the same emotionless expression on his face that I just can't seem to stop thinking about.

" **S-Sig?! H-How long were you standing there?!** " I asked.

"Not long. I just got here."

"D-Did you…hear me say anything?"

"Well, you did say someone was cute…"

 _Oh no, he heard me!_

"But you had your eyes closed. So, I thought you were taking in your sleep."

"O-Oh. Right. How silly of me."

 _That was close..._

"Yeah, it was pretty funny to watch."

" _Hey…_ " I grew insulted.

"Sorry." Sig said as he covered his mouth with his red hand. Trying to hold in his laughter. Watching him do it made me laugh at him. He eventually gave up and started laughing with me.

It took us a while for us to stop laughing, though. We had to sit back on the bench so we wouldn't fall on the grass laughing.

"So what brings you here, Sig? Looking for bugs again?" I asked.

Sig didn't say anything and instead moved his normal right hand to his chin. Moving it back and forth a little.

"Oh, yeah. I'm here to get my sister." He finally said.

"Huh? You have a sister?"

"Yep."

"Wow. What's her name?"

"Chu."

"Chu?"

"Chu!"

" **GAH!** "

I screamed a second time as I heard a third voice coming from behind me. I turned around to see a little girl with long white hair and ruby red eyes.

She was wearing this punk-like grey tank top with a weird black symbol on the front. On her right arm was a black wristband with spikes on it. She also had on black shorts and a pair of white sneakers.

But the most noticeable thing about this girl was that she had the exact same look on her face as Sig's.

Unamused of everything.

"Oh. There you are, Chu." Sig said.

"Huh? This is Chu?" I asked.

"Yep."

 _Why does she have white hair when her brother's hair is blue? Did she dye it or something?_

"Shigu, who is this girl?" Chu asked.

"Uh…Shigu?"

"That's her way of saying my name." Sig explained to me. "She has a bad memory when it comes to names."

"I see. And you're not bothered by that?"

"Not really. I think it's kinda cute."

" _Okay_ then…" I said with a sweatdrop.

 _I'm not sure how having your little sister getting your name wrong every time is cute._

"Chu. This is Arle." Sig continued.

"Hiya, Chu. My name's Arle Nadja. But you can just call me Arle. Nice to meet you." I said.

Chu didn't say anything. All she did was tilt her head to the side like she was confused about something.

"Shigu…is she your girlfriend?" She asked.

" **G-GIRLFRIEND?!** " I shouted, completely off guard. "N-Now now, Chu. L-Let's not jump to conclu…"

"Yeah."

" **S-SIG!** " My heart was beating fast at this point.

"What? You really are. I mean, you are a girl…and you are my friend."

" **DON'T SEPARATE THE WORDS!** "

"You're complicated."

" **I'm about to slap you!** "

"Won't that hurt?"

" **Oh, my God! You're impossible!** " I then turned to face Chu. "Anyway, Chu. Your brother and I are just normal friends."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Oh." Was all she said.

 _I think I'm about to see the resemblance…_

"Ready to go, Chu?" Sig asked his sister.

"Yeah." Chu answered.

"Wait, where are you guys going?" I asked.

"To buy Chu a yukata."

"Yukata!" Chu shouted. She sounded happy. But like her brother, I can't tell because of her current facial expression.

"What's a yukata?" I asked.

"It's a robe-like garment people wear during summer events and such."

"Oh. Like the summer festival?"

"Yeah. It'll be Chu's first time going so we're going to go get her one."

"I always wanted to go. So I begged Shigu to take me and he finally gave in." Chu added.

"You wouldn't get off me. You were sitting on my head."

"You have a really comfy head, Shigu."

"Chu…" Sig said with a sweatdrop.

"Hmm…Maybe I should get one…" I said to myself.

"I bet you'll look pretty in it."

"Pr-Pretty, huh? Y-You really think so?" I was blushing throughout that entire question. Sig realized what he just said and now he was blushing.

"Y-Yeah. Wh-Why not?" He said.

"Shigu. Aruru. You're both red." Chu said.

"Aruru?"

"I guess that's how she remembers your name as. It that bad?" Sig asked.

"Well…No, not really. I think it's…kinda cute."

 _Now I feel like a hypocrite…_

"I see." Was all he said. Then for some reason, he looked away from me with the same blushed cheeks from earlier.

"H-Hey…Arle. D-Do you want to come with us?" He asked while still looking away from me. "I-If you don't have any money…I could…y'know…buy you one."

I suddenly felt my heart skip a few beats. For some reason, him trying to ask me to tag along with them was really cute. It was a new side of him that I've never seen before. And I…really liked it.

"S-Sure. I-I'll come with you guys." I replied, also while looking away from him and blushing from excitement. Sig looked up at me with a smile and I did the same.

"You guys are weird." Chu said as she didn't know what was happening and tilted her head in confusion.

* * *

By the time both of our nervousness went down, the three of us headed for the plaza to buy whatever these yukatas were. Sig never described what they looked like (at least not clearly). So I'm going to have a blind experience with them.

"Hey, Arle. Do you know where we could buy some yukatas?" Sig asked me once we were deeper inside the plaza.

"Uh…not sure." I said. "We could try this one store I went to the other day. It's where I got this outfit from."

"Really? What store is that?"

"It's a store that's own by a skeleton."

"Skeleton? Shigu! I so wanna go!" Chu said while tugging on his jacket sleeve.

"I don't know…" Sig looked unsure of the whole concept of a skeleton selling clothes.

"It sounds weird, I know. Most of the things in this world are pretty weird, in my eyes. But this skeleton's really nice once you get to know him."

" _Shigu…_ " Chu whined (at least I think she did. Still can't tell from just looking at her).

"Alright. If it'll make you happy, Chu." Sig said.

"Yay!" Chu cheered as she ran up ahead of us.

"Skeleton! Skeleton! Skeleton!" She chanted.

Sig and I couldn't hold our laughter and chuckled a bit.

"You're a really good big brother, you know." I said to Sig.

"Yeah, I guess."

We looked into each other's eyes once again and just like the other times, looked away with blushed cheeks when we realized what we were doing.

"S-So, uh…I-I think the store's this way." I stuttered.

"Y-Yeah, sure. L-Lead the way." Sig also stuttered.

To be honest, I forgot where **exactly** where the store was. All of these buildings looked so weird, that it's hard to memorize them all. I don't why they can't just have a simple stand that sells everything. Kinda like Nohoho back home…without the stupid arguments.

I was about to just give up and ask someone for directions when I was lucky enough to run into…

"Oh, hey. There you are, Arle."

"Oh. Hey, Amitie. Hey, Raffina."

 _Thank god I ran into these two._

"I see you're with Sig again. And who's the little girl?" Raffina asked.

"Chu." Chu said.

"What?"

"Her name's Chu Duranné. She's Sig's little sister." I explained.

"I see. Well, nice to meet you, Chu. My name's Raffina Fielding. And this here's Amitie Rose."

"Nice to meet you, Chu." Amitie said. " _ ***giggle***_ Hey, that rhymes."

"Seriously…"

"It's nice to meet you too, uh…"

…

…

"Amytee and Waffine."

"A-Amytee?"

"W-Waffine?"

"Sorry, guys. Chu's really bad with names." Sig said.

" _Come on, Shigu. I wanna see the skeleton._ " Chu whined.

"Shigu?" Both Amitie and Raffina said.

"That's how she calls Sig." I explained.

"Right…"

I suddenly felt a tug from the bottom of my mini-dress.

" _Aruru. You said you knew where the skeleton was._ "

"So, I'm guessing that Aruru…" Raffina asked.

"…Is how she says my name."

"Right. I think I'm starting to understand all this."

"I'm still lost. But I'll get it later." Amitie said. "What's Chu talking about?"

"I'm going to buy Chu and Arle yukatas." Sig said. "Arle said she knows where to get them, but I think she forgot."

"H-Hey! I didn't forget! I'm just…thinking!" I said while sounding insulted.

" _Right…_ "

"It's okay, Arle. In fact, we were going to buy yukatas ourselves."

"We can take you guys to Oshare's shop." Amitie said. She then turned to Chu. "That's where the skeleton is, Chu."

"Yay! Skeleton! Skeleton! Skeleton!" Chu chanted. The rest of us giggled at her antics.

"Your sister's adorable, Sig." Raffina said. "How old is she?"

"She's 10."

"Wow, 10? She has so much energy."

"Yeah, but she has that same unamused face as Sig." I said.

"Wait, hold on. " _Unamused_ "?"

"What do you mean by "unamused", Aruru?" Chu asked.

"Well…you two don't seem to show your emotions. It's just this blank stare of boredom and unamusement."

"Yeah, it's kinda misleading." Amitie said.

"They have a point." Raffina added.

" _Aw, what?_ " The Duranné siblings whined. But to the three of us, we really couldn't tell.

" _They really are brother and sister, huh?_ " Amitie whispered to me.

" _Yep. Pretty much._ "

* * *

Amitie and Raffina took us to the store where this Oshare guy sold clothes and such. When we went inside, we were greeted by said skeleton. Chu couldn't hold her excitement, so Sig had to hold her hand for a while.

"Hey there, Oshare. It's been a while." Raffina said.

"My, my. If it isn't Raffina and Amitie. Indeed, it has been a while since you last came to my shop." The skeleton said.

"Yeah, sorry. A lot of things happened since that visit." Amitie said.

"Yeah, so I've heard." Oshare then looked behind them and saw me, Sig, and Chu standing in the back.

"Oh, Arle. You came by as well. I see you're still wearing the outfit."

"Sure am." I answered. "I really enjoy this outfit so much that I haven't even worn the clothes that I came here with since. Thanks again for picking it out for me, Oshare."

" _Ohoho!_ Such kind words are appreciated. So, who are the other two behind you?"

"Sig."

"Chu."

"Uh, what?"

"Hey. Slow it down with the introductions, will you?" Raffina said to both of them. "Anyway, this here is Sig and his sister Chu. They just moved here a couple days ago."

"I see. So, what brings you all here? Buying yukatas, I assume?"

"Yep! We're going to the summer festival!" Amitie said.

" _Ohhoho!_ How nice. Well, you're in luck. A whole bunch of them just came in yesterday."

"Get real! How lucky, indeed!"

"I'll help you all in a second. I just need to help out this other customer."

"Really? Who's that?" Raffina asked.

We then heard a curtain open in the back of the store revealing a purple-haired girl with a black horn from behind it.

"Hey, Oshare! Do you have anything that's easy on the ches…" The girl stopped talking as soon as she saw us. More like when she saw Raffina.

"Oh, great. It's you." She said in a snarky tone.

"I feel the same way about you." Raffina said in the same tone.

The two then started staring each other down with a dark aura flowing around them. Their hands were in the shape of a fist. Looking like they were about to fight.

"Uh, Amitie? What's going on?" I asked.

"Well, you see that purple-haired girl over there?" She asked me while pointing at the girl.

"Yeah. What about her?"

"Well, her name's Peruvis. For some reason, she and Raffina are huge rivals towards each other."

"Oh, a rival huh? I've had my share of those."

"Really? Who?"

"Well, technically Schezo's one of them. But we get along really well. I've got tons others. Too many to count, in fact."

"Oh, wow." Amitie sounded amazed.

"Hey, you two! Knock it off! This isn't a place for fighting!" Oshare yelled.

"Sorry, Oshare. I just didn't think I would see Peruvis here." Raffina said.

"And I was having a good day, too. Until you showed up." Peruvis said.

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"What do you think? I'm buying a yukata."

"Really? You don't have one either, Peruvis?" Amitie asked.

"Well, I do…I just…grew out of it, that's all."

"Oh, I see. Too short?"

"More like too small. When she couldn't get it on, she spent the last 30 minutes forcing it on her. And then it ripped due to how much weight she gained." A white ghost-like thing then came out of Peruvis' back and told us what happened.

" **PH-PHOENIX!** " Peruvis yelled.

"What? I'm only telling the truth. Something you tend to never do."

"But there are just somethings you **DON'T BRING UP!** "

Raffina quickly started laughing and it soon led to the two girls bickering at each other. With Amitie doing a facepalm following it.

"Hey, Amitie. Why is there a ghost coming out her back?" I asked.

"She's half of a tortured soul." Sig said.

"Huh? A what?"

"Sig, you know about those things?" Amitie asked.

"You can say that."

"Huh?" Amitie and I were confused.

"Shigu. Isn't that…"

"No doubt about it, Chu." Sig said before taking a deep breath. "Hey. Peruvis."

The girl named Peruvis looked on over as us and her eyes lit up with excitement once she saw Sig.

" **Oh, my God! Sig?! Chu?!** "

"Huh. So, you do remember us."

"You knucklehead. How can I forget my best friend and his sister?"

" **HUH?! BEST FRIEND?!** " Amitie, Raffina, and I yelled in shock.

"Well, knowing you…you tend to have other things in your mind."

" _Like what, Sig? Care to explain?_ " Peruvis teased.

"As if, you perv."

"S-Sig…you and Peruvis know each other?" Raffina asked.

"Yeah. She and I are childhood friends."

" **Ch-Childhood friends?!** "

"Oh? Don't tell me that you never had one, Raffina. Guess I 1-up you in that category. _***giggle***_ " Peruvis teased.

" _Grr…damn you…_ "

"W-Wow. Childhood friends, huh?" Amitie asked.

"Yep." Sig said. "Ever since we were 6-years-old."

"Hey. That's about just as long as my friendship with Ally."

"Huh. Go figure."

"Peridi!"

"You're still calling me that huh, Chu?" Peruvis said to the little sister.

"Wait. Peridi is…" I asked.

"How Chu remembers my name. It was a pain at first. Especially since she got Phoenix's name right the first freaking time."

"What can I say? I'm more recognizable than you." The ghost (who I'm now believing is named Phoenix) said with a smirk on his face.

"More recogniz… **sh-shut up!** "

"I see." Was all I said. I was then lost in my own thoughts again. The topic this time was…

…

…

W-Well…I-I rather not talk about it. A-At least, not now.

* * *

After that big secret was revealed, we went and looked around the store to find some yukatas to wear. I eventually found a cute white one with colorful dots all over it. The dots actually reminded me of puyos. I tried it on and thought it looked good on me, so I showed it to Sig.

"Hey, Sig. How do I look?" I asked him.

Sig took a while to say something. His cheeks were red and he kept trying to look away but failed.

"A-Arle." He finally said. "Y-You look…really cute in that."

"Y-You think I look…c-cute?" I stuttered. My cheeks were now just as red as Sig's. And my heart was beating faster than whenever I was playing Puyo with someone.

We kept staring at each other until we looked away again. Feeling embarrassed about what we were doing.

" _Ooh. What do we have here? Did Sig find a girl he wants to…_ "

 ***BONK***

" **Ow! The hell?!** " Peruvis yelled at Sig after he hit her in the head.

"Wh-Whatever you were about to say is not it. Stop being dirty."

"What makes you think it was dirty?"

"Because I know you, Peruvis. You're like proud to be a pervert."

 _H-He…He_ _ **KNOWS**_ _her? A-As in…every detail?_

…

…

 _Wh-Why…Why am I upset about that?_

"Proud to be a pervert?!" Peruvis then went silent for a bit. "Okay yes, it's true. But you didn't have to point it out, jerk!"

"Don't you have to piss off Raffina or something?"

"Hmm…you know. That's not a bad idea, Sig. I can go gloat at her for not finding friends faster than me. Thanks, Blue Boy."

"Blue Boy? What the…"

Peruvis then left before Sig could question that name she had given him. Leaving us to alone again.

"S-So, uh…Is that the one you want?" Sig asked me after a few seconds of silence.

"Uh…y-yeah. I-I really like this one." I said.

"Okay. I'll buy it for you."

"Shigu. I like this one." Chu came up to us wearing a white children's yukata (which goes up to her knees) with pink rabbit ears all over it.

"It looks nice, Chu." Sig said.

"Yeah, you really look cute in that." I added.

"You look cute in yours too, Aruru."

"Aw. Thanks, Chu."

* * *

After we changed back into our regular clothes, Sig paid for the yukatas and us three waited outside for the others to finish. While sitting next to Sig, something was circling my mind. It was bothering me the entire time I was looking. I knew I had to ask him. Because if I didn't, the thoughts will probably eat me alive.

"Hey…Sig." I finally spoke.

"Yeah?" He turned to face me.

"Y-You and Peruvis…how close are you two?"

"How close? We're childhood friends. Known each other since kindergarten."

"Since kindergarten…"

 _I never had a friend in kindergarten. And yet, that Peruvis girl had Sig. Wish it was the other way around._

"It must be great to be reunited with your childhood best friend, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess. Peruvis can be an odd nuisance sometimes. But she's a really good friend. She and I have been through a lot and share a bunch of memories."

"Been through a lot…and share a bunch of memories…"

 _Gah! Damnit! The more I hear these answers, the sadder and angrier I get! But the thing is…I don't know why I'm feeling this way. I've only met Sig a few days ago. Not knowing anything about him is completely normal for this type of situation._

 _So, why…why do I hate it so much?_

"Arle? You feeling okay?"

"H-Huh? O-Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Really…I am."

Sig looked at me with the same unamused face as before. But for some reason…this time…looking at it made me depressed.

"Hey, sorry we took so long. Those two were fighting most of the time." Amitie said while pointing behind her to Raffina and Peruvis still arguing. "You didn't wait long did you, Arle?"

"No, it's fine." I said. Then turned to (partially) face Sig. "I'm gonna go now. Say bye to Chu for me."

"Huh? W-Wait, Arle." Sig held my arm tight with his red claw. And he seemed determined not to let me go, too.

"S-Sorry. It's just…d-do you want to…y'know…go with me to the summer festival?"

"H-Huh? D-Don't you want to go with Peruvis or something?"

Sig looked behind him at Peruvis (who was still arguing with Raffina) and then turned back to face me.

"Not really. I'd rather go with you. Is that okay?"

I started to blush as hard as I could (and also tried to hide it as hard as I could) as I continued to stare at this boy.

"S-Sure. I-I'll go with you, Sig." Saying that made him smile. And seeing him smile made me smile. So much so that I think I felt my heart skip a few beats.

"Hey, Chu. Arle's coming to the summer festival with us."

Chu didn't say anything and kept looking back and forth between us.

"So…it's a date?" She asked.

" **D-DATE?!** " We both shouted.

"Ch-Chu. D-Don't make such wild accusations." Sig told his sister. Chu didn't know what he was talking about and just tilted her head in confusion.

"S-So…see you there, then?" He asked me.

"Yeah, see you there." I said with a smile.

We both waved goodbye to each other and I caught up to Amitie as we walked home together.

"You and Sig seemed to be getting along well, Arle." Amitie said to me.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. He's a pretty good friend."

" _Friend?_ "

"Yeah, friend. Why did you say it like that?"

"Come on, Arle. You seriously don't notice it?"

"Notice what?"

"Or…are you just _**denying**_ it?"

"Denying it? Denying what? What are you talking about, Amitie?"

Amitie started giggling while putting one hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, Arle. You'll notice it soon enough." She said with a wink of an eye.

"Notice what? Come on, tell me!"

" _ ***giggle***_ You'll see."

" _ ***moan***_ Meanie." I whined.

We then continued making our way home. Thanks to Amitie, I now have something else to think about in my inner thoughts.

 _Denying it? What the hell could Amitie be talking about?_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **And just like how Peruvis is my favorite Quest character, Chu is definitely my favorite original character. Logically, she's the 6** **th** **original character I've created (the five before her are Melody, Amira, Lily, Yumi, and Phoenix. In that order.). And then including the others making future appearances (Sphinx, Ayumi, Sara, and Ren), there are 10 official original characters in this story. The latter four will most likely stay exclusive to this story. But who knows? Things could change.**

 **Fun Fact: Whenever I edit stories in Grammarly that have Chu in them, it always counts her name wrong and suggests that it should be "The Chu". It doesn't give me the option to save her name to my dictionary, either. So, her name is always counted as a mistake. It's kinda funny. I guess.**

 **I'm going to be taking a quick break from this story. I'm starting to notice that of the three stories, Tsu has the most mistakes and much-needed changes. But actually…the big editing for Tsu is almost done. After the summer festival, the chapters after it will require little to no changes or edits (besides grammar, of course). I still need to find a spot to put The First Date. But other than that, this merge is going to be easier on me.**

 **At least, until the Fever chapters start coming in.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	36. Childhood Lives of the Demon & Devil

**Chapter 36 – Childhood Lives of the Demon & Devil**

 **Sig's POV**

"Man. How lucky are we? Running into each other in a place like this. It's really nice to see you again, Sig."

"Yeah. Same to you, Peruvis."

After running into each other in the store yesterday, Peruvis and I, along with Chu, decided to meet up again today at the park. To catch up on old times since we were apart for so long.

How long? Probably like…4 years or around that time. We went our separate ways shortly after we started middle school. During that time, Peruvis had joined a band and they actually left school to tour the world as a rock band or something like that.

It did bother me, to be completely honest. Not only because she quit school, but she left me alone at that school for that same amount of time.

And now that I'm actually saying it, I'm rather pissed off about it.

"Hey, Peruvis."

"Yeah, Sig? What's up?"

"Be real with me. Why did you move here? Weren't you happy with that band of yours?" I asked in a pissed-off tone.

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ I just knew you were going to ask that." Peruvis said in a sad tone.

"Huh? W-Wait, I didn't mean it like that. I just…"

"No, Sig. It's fine. It's just…I actually quit the band."

"S-Seriously? You quit the band?"

Peruvis didn't answer with words. Instead, she just nodded. I then noticed that she was holding back her tears. And I really started to feel bad.

"I…I thought you enjoyed being in the band. Why'd you quit?"

"Well…because…I was lonely, Sig."

"Lonely?"

"Not being with you…made me lonely."

"I…I see." I said before comforting Peruvis with a hug. Wrapping my red arm around her body.

"I don't know how else to put it besides…that I really missed you, Sig."

"I understand. I missed you, too."

Peruvis and I…we've been through a lot together. A lot of troubled times. And they're really similar.

Starting with her, Peruvis is half devil and half tortured soul. The latter being the cause of an accident that she doesn't like to talk about.

She told me what happened. But then made me promise never to bring it up again. So, sorry. I can't tell you what happened.

And as for me…well…

"It…It gave me so much pain, you know." Peruvis started talking again. "How we met, what we've been through, and our relation to each other. I mean…who else do we know that is either a devil or a demon?"

Yeah…it's true. I'm a demon. Been this way all my life.

I wasn't always like this, though. It started when I was around 4 or 5, I think. One day, my left eye just turned red for what I thought at first no reason. So I just left it alone.

But over the next few months, my left arm was turning red and my fingers were deforming a little. To the point where it looked like I had a claw. I was scared and didn't know what was happening. I actually started believing that I was going to die.

until my parents told me that I was a descendant of a well-known and powerful demon. And that his soul controls most of my body, giving me his old powers. I don't necessarily hate my true self, but it did mess-up my childhood.

Once people found out that I was a demon, they were afraid of me. Feared that if they come in contact with me, I would "eat their souls" and "send them to hell" and all that other stuff.

As if I could do that! I was just a kid!

The fact is, I was lonely. No one to play with and no one who didn't fear me because of my family history…

…that is until Chu was born.

Unlike most kids at the time, Chu didn't fear me. In fact, she treated me like a normal person (or in this case, a normal big brother). She would always play with me and talk to me and comfort me whenever I felt down about my true self. It was like she was the big sister (which kinda makes sense considering how smart she is).

But then we learned that I'm not the only one with this demon's soul inside them. Not too long after her 6th birthday, Chu started showing signs of being a demon as well. Both of her eyes turned from blue to red, her long hair turned from blue to white, and a huge scar going down her back. I have one too, but it didn't come to mind at the time.

She also started getting demonic powers of her own. The most notable being…

"Hey, Shigu. Peridi."

" **GAH!** " We both yelled in shock.

"Ch-Chu. I've told you to be cautious with that teleportation power." I said to her.

"Sorry, Shigu. I forgot. Can I have money for ice cream?"

"How much?"

"Uh…50 Credits."

 _50 Credits?! What ice cream is she buying?!_

"Fine. Here." I said as I gave her the money.

"Thank you, Shigu. **Nebula!** " Chu then before teleported away from us with the money in her hands for the expensive ice cream.

…

…

"S-So…Chu can teleport now, huh?" Peruvis asked.

"Yeah. It's her favorite power to use. Though, she's constantly scaring people with it. Unintentionally, I mean."

"Right…" Peruvis said with a sweatdrop.

Anyway. Once that started happening, people started berating her with questions and accusations. Her classmates teased her and her friends even started to ignore her. At home, I would watch her cry at night. Reminding me of how I used to be…and now she was becoming the same.

Both of us hated what we had become. We believed that we were alone and a complete outcast to this world. Just because we were no longer human.

I thought life was over for the both of us. And started thinking of thoughts that I'm not proud of today.

Then…Then I met Peruvis Ryley. A girl who had suffered the same fate as me. The only difference being that…well, I'm you know at this point. We became friends rather quickly. And spent almost every day together. My parents and Chu took a liking to her, too.

But then, like I said before, she moved away to join that band of hers. I thought she was happy with that. But hearing that she was just as lonely as I was without her…

…

…

We're…We're a lot more alike than I thought.

"Still, though. I can't believe that you did such a thing, Peruvis. I thought you loved making music."

"I do, but…even though I was around people of my own kind, playing badass rock music on staged around the world while fans cheered and shouted our names…I still felt like something was missing. It took me a while to figure it out, but I realized that something was…m-my friendship with you, Sig. Because of you, my life changed for the better. And I was…actually happy, for once."

"I fell the same way, Peruvis. My life was a living hell before meeting you. I struggled with this piece of family history that I can't ignore. And then seeing Chu suffer the same way only made it worse."

"You really care for your baby sister, huh?"

"Why shouldn't I? She's my only family left. Well, at least one of them."

"So…the reason you guys moved here…"

"…Was to protect Chu. I made a promise to myself that I would always protect her from the hatred this world can bring at times. Konoko Valley wasn't doing it for us. So, with the money we got from the will plus the settlement, we moved here."

"From both of those?" Peruvis then went silent for a bit. "Hey. Did they…Did they ever find the people who did that?"

"As far as I know…no. They didn't."

"Hmph. Slow-asses."

What we're talking about is…the murder of my parents. You see, one night, our parents decided to go out for their wedding anniversary. And they left me to babysit Chu while they spent some time alone.

Thing is, they never came back the next morning. And then days later, it was discovered that they were murdered and left in an abandoned creek near our house.

No one knew how it happened or who would do such a thing. But then…they started blaming me. Since I'm a demon. I kept denying it, saying I would never do such a thing.

But nobody believed me.

I was shunned by the entire neighborhood. And eventually, I got arrested and charged for their murder. I was going to do life in prison for something I didn't do. They had no proof that I did it. And the Suzuran Court System thought so, too.

And so, I was released from prison 2 years after the brutal murder of my parents. And of course, I sued their asses for their poor biased judgment. And got a pretty big settlement from it.

"I heard it all while I was on tour. I was so pissed that they believed that it was you. You couldn't hurt a fly."

 _Not that I wanted to…_

"Yeah, well…with the amount of Credits I got from the lawsuit, I was able to get Chu back by becoming her legal guardian and the two of us moved here. It doesn't look like anyone here knows about that case. So, it looks like we're in the clear. For now."

"I see. You're a good big bro, Sig."

"Yeah. I get that a lot." I said with a smile.

"And hey. Since I'm here too, we can continue our friendship."

"Fine by me."

Peruvis started giggling as she was now the one wrapping her arm around me.

"I really missed you, Sig. And I'm glad that we can continue our friendship after so long of being apart."

"I feel the same way, Peruvis. I really do." I said with a bigger smile. The two of us then continued to hug each other. It was more so a reunion hug to us.

But to other people…

"Hey, Mommy. Look at those two over there. They must love each other."

"Sweetie, don't point. Let's not bother the nice couple."

" **C-Couple?!** " We both shouted as we watched the mother and daughter walk off with redness on our cheeks. Our reunion hug cut short as it was now taken the wrong way.

"Well, that was hilarious."

" **Sh-Shut up, Phoenix!** " Peruvis yelled once her life source came out of her back.

"Shigu. Peridi." Chu called out to us as she walked this time and not teleported.

"W-Wow, Chu. That's a lot of ice cream." I said. Completely shocked at the pile of ice cream she had brought with her.

"There was a sale. 10 for 50 Credits. It was something I just couldn't ignore."

"I see…" I gained a sweatdrop.

 _My sister has a huge sweet tooth…_

"Anyway, I got one for each of you. Take your pick."

"Aw. That's nice of you, Chu. Thanks." Peruvis said.

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Chu." Phoenix said. "I grew hungry from listening to their sob stories."

"Can you even eat?" I asked. "I've never seen you do it."

"I don't need to. But I still do it from time to time. Much like sleeping."

"Huh." Was all I said.

* * *

The four of us then sat around eating the ice cream. While Peruvis and I tried to forget that a little girl and her mom called us a couple. I mean…Peruvis is a nice girl. Cute, too. I've known her for most of my life. But I could never be in a relationship with my best friend. It's too weird.

A-And, besides…I-I think I…

"Hey, Sig. Speaking of being a couple, who was that girl you were with yesterday? You boinked her yet?"

" **N-N-N-N-N-NO! WH-WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU ASK THAT?!** " I yelled at Peruvis with a faint blush on my face.

"Well, I'm just asking."

 _ **Again! Why would you ask that?!**_

" _ ***sigh***_ I only met her a few days ago. Her name's Arle Nadja. And from what she's told me, she's from a different world."

"A different world?" The other three asked.

"She said it's something to do with a mirror and something called Space-Time."

"What the hell is Space-Time?" Peruvis asked.

"I have no idea."

"I see…So you like her, right?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"I'm just saying, Sig. You and that Arle girl looked like you _**really**_ enjoyed each other's company."

"I saw it too, Shigu." Chu said. "You and Aruru were blushing a lot."

"He totally wants to boink." Phoenix said.

" **I don't want to boink!** "

"But you like her right?" Peruvis asked.

…

…

"Well…yeah. She's a nice girl. And kinda cute."

" **So, you do want to boink her!** "

 ***POW***

" _Okay. I'll stop with the boinking jokes…_ " Peruvis whined after I punched her in the head.

"It's not even that serious, anyway. We're just friends."

"Friends? Are you two going to the summer festival together?"

"Yeah, as friends. It's going to be her, Chu, and I. Unless you want to come, too."

"I wish. But I've got my own goals."

"Goals?" Chu and I asked.

" _ ***giggle***_ Phoenix! Bringeth to me thy treasure!"

"What's with the medieval accent?" Chu asked.

"You know her, Chu." Phoenix said. "She's just a loon."

" **Sh-Shut up and get the damn thing!** "

"Fine. Whatever."

"That's the Peruvis I know." I said with a cheeky grin.

"Screw you, Sig."

"Alright, here. I don't know why you can't just leave this thing at home." What Phoenix brought out was a yellow beanie with really large eyes. My left arm had a serious reaction to it. Meaning that it has some serious power.

"What the hell is that thing?" I asked.

"This, my dear childhood friend, is the Yellow Puyo Hat. One of the five Puyo Hats scattered throughout this world. And I'm trying to collect them all."

"Why?"

"Because legend says that if the five Puyo Hats are brought together, they'll grant you a wish of your desires. And on the night of the summer festival, the prize for winning the singing competition is the Green Puyo Hat. And it will be mine! _***giggle***_ "

"How exactly do you know about this?"

"Eh. It's too complicated to explain. Just know that I have the yellow one, the green one is the prize of the summer festival, that Amitie girl knows where the red one is, and, uh…I don't really know where the blue and purple ones are."

"So, you're not even close?"

" **D-Don't doubt me like that!** "

"So, what do these hats do on their own, Peridi?" Chu asked.

…

…

"You know…I'm not really sure."

"Huh?"

"When I first brought it up to Raffina and her "girlfriend", they said that what they do when you put them on isn't worth the desired wish. But I think they're completely bluffing."

"Wait, how do they know about it?" I asked.

"Not sure. Which is why I don't believe them for a second. They're not taking my wish from me."

"I see." I then went silent for a bit. "So…just a curious thought. What do you plan to wish for once you do get all the hats?"

That was when Peruvis went silent for a while. A lot longer than mine. She then placed the hat on the ground and hugged me once more. This time, with full tears coming out of her eyes.

" _I-I'm going_ _ ***sniff***_ _…I-I'm going to wish them back, Sig. No matter what._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Poor kid." Phoenix said. "Even to this day, it still hurts her."

"Peridi…" Chu said with a sad tone.

I didn't say anything and just returned the hug she was giving me. What I went through in life may be bad, but Peruvis' is way worse. One that haunts her even to this day. No matter how hard she tries to hide it.

The only thing she has to keep herself going…

"Peruvis…I believe in you."

…Is he one special friend.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Sig and Peruvis resume their friendship and remember the horrible reasons it started in the first place. The first original chapter in a while, this based on the concept of the "Two Special Friends" story. I did say that I was going to implement it in this new version, after all.**

 **I'm going to be doing some mass-writing with this story. Since it's been inactive for quite a while. I'm hoping to get to 40 chapters total by Friday. So, it's going to be a lot of work.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	37. Confessions Under the Starry Night Sky 1

**Chapter 37 – Confessions Under the Starry Night Sky (Part 1)**

 **Lidelle's POV**

" _ARF ARF!_ "

" _Nooo…Poochy…_ "

" _ARF ARF!_ "

" _ ***moan***_ _Come on, Poochy…it's my day off…just let me sleep…_ "

" _ ***growling noise***_ "

" _ ***whine***_ _Fine. I'll get up._ "

" _ARF ARF!_ "

I heard Poochy jump off my bed and phase through my door. I then got up and stretched a bit before heading for the bathroom. Mentally talking to myself as I stared at my reflection.

 _Why…just why? Why do I feel so…empty?_

I've been saying these words to myself for the past three days. Ever since Ally went back home after our sleepover. I remember us having so much fun that night. We played lots of games, talked a lot, ate tons of food (even though I still ate more. I swear, this growth spurt's going to be the end of me)…

And most of all, Ally accepting me who I really am. Ignoring the fact that I'm gay or the Demonic Princess. She see me as a normal girl. Something I've always wanted.

It made me really happy. So happy that I felt my heart beating fast that night. And when Ally wanted me to sleep on her futon with her, and she accidentally got close to me to the point where she was snuggling up against me…

 _Was that…really an accident? Gah, I don't care! It was the best night of my life! I never wanted it to end! I wanted to be next to Ally for the rest of my life! In fact, I want to be with her right now!_

" _ ***moan* Ally, I miss you!**_ "

I quickly covered my mouth after realizing what I just yelled out.

" **Wh-What did I just say?! Th-That can't be true, right?!** "

I moved my hand towards my chest and felt that my heart was racing. It was going so fast, I thought I was having a heart attack. But it eventually calmed down and I went back to staring at my reflection.

" _What's…happening to me?_ " I said to myself.

* * *

After that weird outburst (that I hope no one heard), I went back to my room to change my clothes. Then headed for the kitchen for anything to eat. Today is my day off from my shrine maiden duties. So I didn't have to cook anything.

But I found it weird that as I got closer to the end of the hallway that splits into the living room and kitchen, I didn't smell any food. I mean yes, Mother can cook. That's how I learned to do so. But she doesn't make such "extreme meals" as I do.

It would always something simple like regular pancakes, regular waffles, or pretty much food that a person without a growth spurt would eat.

 _When is this thing going to end, anyway?_

I reached the end of the hallway and entered the living room to see Mother sitting at the table in the middle.

"Good morning, Mother." I greeted her.

"Good morning, Lidelle." Mother greeted back. "I was afraid you were going to sleep all day."

"Well, she is young, Auntie. Her sleeping all day would be expected."

 _Auntie? The only person I know who calls Mother that is…_

I stopped rubbing my eyes to see who Mother was talking to. A red-haired girl with two ponytail curls and green apple hairpin. Wearing a white off-shoulder shirt with apple outlines printed on it, a short black skirt, and a pair of really amazing grey, white, black, & red shoes.

It took me by surprise with who this was.

"Hey, Lidelle. How's it going?"

"Ringo? What are you doing here?"

"Huh? You mean Auntie didn't tell you? I'm staying here for the summer."

" **Really?! Mother, how come you never told me?!** "

"Did I not tell you? Huh. I guess I forgot. Sorry, Sweetie."

"Mother, I sometimes worry about your bad memory."

Ringo Ando is my cousin who lives in Suzuran City. She sometimes comes to Primp to visit us, but this is the first time she was staying for a whole summer.

We're both the same age, being 15. But we have **WAY** different personalities. While I'm more shy and self-conscious (and sometimes devious), Ringo's a bit more…adventurous, to put it in a nice way.

She's super curious about everything. And because of that, she studies whenever she can. She's a total math whiz and can pretty much solve any kind of question.

But sometimes…Ringo's curiosity can cause a bit of problems.

"Well, anyway. It's nice to see you again, Ringo." I said to her.

"Nice to see you again too, Lidelle. It's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"

"Yeah, about…a year and a half, actually."

"Yeah…sorry about that. When you're in your final year of middle school in Suzuran, you have to take a high school entrance exam. And I was studying like crazy."

"Wow. That sounds tough." I never knew how schools work in Suzuran. So, hearing this for the first time was rather interesting.

" _ ***sigh***_ You're lucky, Lidelle, going to the same school until now. I'm surprised it only goes up to 9th grade."

"Yeah, it's sad. I'm going to miss that place and my teacher." I started feeling sad about not being in Ms. Accord's classroom anymore. That's when I felt a nudge on my leg.

" _ ***whine***_ " _ARF ARF!_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Thanks, Poochy. You really know how to make me feel better." I said while picking him up. He then started to lick my face repeatedly until I started laughing.

"H-Hey! Stop it, Poochy! I-It tickles!"

" _ARF ARF!_ "

"I still can't believe that Poochy is a Lost Soul." Ringo said. "And you have no idea what he used to be before he died?"

"Not at all." Mother said. "But I'm starting to believe that he and Lidelle are related."

"Really? How so?"

"They both have strange and never-ending appetites."

" **M-MOTHER!** " I shouted as my cheeks were blushing from embarrassment.

"Sorry, sorry." Mother began giggling at my embarrassment. Which only made it worse.

"Don't feel bad about it, Lidelle. It's completely normal for kids our age to have excessive hunger." Ringo said. Trying to make me feel better.

"Oh, really? Then how come you don't, Ringo?" I asked.

Ringo didn't say anything and looked away from me while trying to think of an answer to give. She eventually started digging through her bag and pulled out a white container from it.

"Uh…donut?" She asked with a smile.

I looked at her with an annoyed look at first, then it eventually turned into a smile with a giggle or two.

"You better be lucky that I'm hungry right now." I said as I took a donut from her.

* * *

After we ate some of the stuff that Ringo brought with her, Mother asked me to show Ringo the room she'll be using while she's here. So we took her bags into the back and we entered the spare room that we have.

"Well, here it is." I said as I opened the door.

"Woah, this room is huge! How do you and Auntie feel comfortable in these, Lidelle?"

"Huh? It is really big?"

"Yeah, they are. Big and super… _Ah…Ah…_ **AHCHOO!** " Ringo then let out a powerful sneeze due to the dust that's around here. Which revealed another part of her that wasn't shown off before.

" **I knew it! You were hiding it, you little sneak!** " I yelled.

"Damnit! And I put so much effort into putting make-up all over it!"

What we're talking about is the family crest on Ringo's stomach. As I said, everyone (except Mother) has this symbol. Including my cousin. Which means that she has demonic powers.

Thing is…she isn't exactly proud of it like I am.

"Ringo. Why even bother with it? It's the symbol of our family."

"Easy for you to say, Lidelle. You don't have to worry about people finding out that you're part of a family that rules demons. Suzuran isn't as relaxed with this as Primp is."

"Well, just do what my friend told me when I told her I was gay. Take their opinions and shove it up their…"

" **L-Lidelle!** " Ringo began to blush.

"W-Well, you get the idea."

"Yeah, I don't think I can **EVER** say something like that. Your friend has some serious guts."

"Yeah, she's a tough one." I said with a giggle.

 _Cute, too._

"Anyway, my thought still stands. This room is huge."

"Is it really?" I asked as I took another look at the empty room. while doing so, I began getting memories of when Ally first saw my room. She said the exact same thing, but I shrugged it as a compliment. But now, as I was thinking about Ally, I was starting to see it for myself.

 _Huh. Maybe these rooms are huge…_

"Lidelle? Hey, Lidelle!"

"H-Huh?!"

"You okay? You were spacing out just now." Ringo asked me.

"Huh? Oh…yeah. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about."

"Hmm…" Ringo was staring at me with one of her "you're acting really suspicious" glares that she's known for doing.

"Wh-What?"

"You sure you're okay? You're acting kinda weird."

"I told you already, I'm fine…" I looked down from her with red cheeks.

"You just looked away from me."

" **Because you're staring me down, Ringo!** " I shouted.

…

…

"S-Sorry." I said immediately after.

"No, I should be. I got a little carried away again." Ringo admitted.

" _A little?_ "

" _Hey…_ "

"Sorry, sorry." I said with a light giggle. Then I gave in to some thoughts I had earlier.

 _I know I can't keep this problem a secret forever. I going to have to talk it out with someone sooner or later. Maybe…_

"H-Hey…Ringo? Can I ask you something?" I asked.

"Sure, Lidelle. You can ask me anything. Well, almost anything." Ringo said.

I wanted to know what she meant by that. But knowing my cousin, it's probably something insane. So I didn't ask. I instead took a deep breath and prepared to ask the question I really wanted to ask.

"Ringo. Have you ever been… _ **close**_ to someone?"

"Huh? Close? What do you mean by that?" She asked with a confused face. I was hoping that she would understand with just that question alone. But I knew that I would have to explain more anyway.

"W-Well…I met this girl named Ally a couple months ago. Although she can be a little…perverted at times, she and I have a lot in common."

"Really? Like what?"

"Well, we both play video games, read manga, love sweets, and a bunch of other stuff."

"Wow. Kinda sounds like me. A-Aside from the perverted part."

"Yeah, that trait of hers gets out of hand sometimes."

"I see." Ringo said with a sweatdrop.

"Anyway, a couple of days ago we decided to have a sleepover here. And that night, some… _ **things**_ happened."

"W-Wait, wh-what? _**Th-Things**_? Pl-Please, tell me you didn't…" Ringo started panicking.

At first, I didn't know what she was talking about, but after giving it some thought…

" **N-NO NO NO NO NO! RINGO, YOU KNOW ME! I WOULD NEVER DO THAT! ESPECIALLY AT MY CURRENT AGE!** " I shouted with the reddest of cheeks.

"Oh, thank God. Sorry for jumping to conclusions."

" _ ***sigh***_ It's okay. I mean, I've gotten used to you doing it so much. So, it's pretty much expected from you."

" _I'm going to take that as a compliment._ " Ringo sounded insulted. "Anyway, continue on."

"Right. Well, that night…it was honestly the best night of my life. I had so much fun with her. We talked a lot, ate a lot, played a lot of Mario Kart Arcade GP DX…"

" **W-Wait, what?!** **Mario Kart Arcade GP DX?!** "

"Oh, yeah. I can play Mario Kart Arcade GP DX on my TV thanks to my modded Super Famicom Classic. It's super fun. _***giggle***_ "

"You lucky S.O.B." Ringo said with jealousy.

"Anyway. Later that night, Ally asked me to sleep on her futon with her. So I did. Soon after we fell asleep, I felt something against me. I then open my eyes to see snuggling up against me."

"And…"

"And…and I…I didn't push her away. In fact, I got closer to her. It felt really nice and cozy. My heart was racing and my cheeks were blazing red. But after a short while, I managed to fall back asleep. It was truly the best night of my life."

"W-Wow, Lidelle. That's deep."

"Yeah. And since then, I couldn't stop thinking of her. I feel so…so…empty inside. So, now I'm hoping you could help me figure it out."

"I see. I understand now. Let me think about it for a sec."

"Oh…okay then." I felt disappointed that she didn't have an answer right away. But I guess it's something even Ringo needs to think about. "I have to go feed Poochy, anyway. I'll be in the garden if you need me."

"Okay then. See ya in a bit."

* * *

I left Ringo's room and headed for the kitchen to grab some food for Poochy. I then went out to the garden to meet up with him.

"Poochy! Time to eat!" I yelled.

" _ARF ARF!_ "

Poochy came running towards me with excitement as I sat down on the steps in front of the door. As I watched him eat his food, I rubbed his fur(?) while putting a somewhat fake smile. Poochy noticed it and stopped eating as he stared me down.

"What?"

" _ARF!_ "

"I'm fine, Poochy. Nothing to worry about."

" _ ***growl***_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ I guess there's no fooling you, huh?"

" _ARF ARF ARF!_ "

"Well, thanks for caring about me. You're a really good soul, Poochy."

" _ARF!_ "

"Wow, I always forget how pretty this garden is." I heard Ringo's voice and turned to see her standing behind me.

"Yeah, it's really is. I sometimes come out here and stare at them whenever I feel stressed about life." I said.

"That sounds relaxing." Ringo said. "So I did some thinking…over what we talked about earlier."

"You did? Well, what do you think?"

"Well…how much do you like this Ally girl, anyway?"

"How much? Well…I like her a lot, really. Like I said before, I feel empty without her."

"I see. Now I completely understand."

"You do?"

"Yeah. But fair warning. What I'm about to say may blow your mind a little."

"I'm ready for it." I said after taking a deep breath. "I need to know this."

Ringo took a deep breath as well and grabbed my hand with hers as she looked me in the eyes.

"Lidelle. After all the thinking I did on it, it sounds like to me that…" Ringo started blushing mid-sentence.

"Sounds like what?"

"W-Well…"

"Come on, Ringo. I can handle it. Just tell me already."

"Alright, alright." Ringo took another deep breath before continuing.

"I-It sounds like you're in love with this Ally."

I sat there in silence. Replaying the words Ringo just said in my mind over and over again until it finally clicked for me.

"Uh…Lidelle?" Ringo asked.

" **WH-WH-WH-WHAT?! M-M-M-ME?! IN LOVE?! W-W-W-WITH ALLY?! ARE YOU SURE?!** " I shouted in a panicked state.

"You show all the signs of someone who's in love. There's no denying it."

I calmed down and began to realize that what Ringo said was starting to make sense. The entire time I was with Ally that night, I was the happiest I could ever be. And when she went home, I was all miserable.

My heart ached like hell at night because she wasn't next to me snuggling. All this time I was feeling sad and alone. When the answer was so obvious. But I was too miserable to notice it myself.

" _W-Wow. I-I'm in love with Ally…_ " I finally said after a few minutes of silence from both of us.

"You feeling any better?" Ringo asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Ringo! I feel so much better!"

"Well, glad I could help, cousin."

"Yes! I feel so better! So much, in fact, that I'm going to confess my love for Ally!"

" **C-Confess?!** "

"And during the summer festival, too!"

" **D-During the summer festival?!** "

"And under the starry night sky!"

" **Th-The starry night sky?!** "

"What? You don't think it's a good idea?"

"W-Well…while I do agree that confessing your love at the summer festival under the starry night sky is the most romantic thing in the world, you **DID** just found out about your feelings. Don't you think you should wait a little longer?"

" _But Ringo! If I wait much longer, I'm going to be all sad again!_ " I whined.

"Aw, geez. Don't start whining on me now. You know I can't resist that."

" _Pwease?_ " I stared at her with the saddest I could possibly make my puppy-dog eyes look.

" **GAH!** **Not the** " _ **Pwease**_ " **! It's too cute!** " Ringo yelled. "Alright fine! But I'm going to help whether you like it or not! Your plan is just too risky."

"Deal! Thanks, Ringo!" I said. Then I hugged her really tight while trying to not shed a tear. Despite us being the same age, Ringo's always been like a big sibling to me. More so than my **ACTUAL** big sibling, which is ironic in some way.

 _ ***sigh***_ _Why couldn't Satan be more like Ringo? I certainly would've seen him as more reliable if he did._

"So, what do we do first?" I asked once we broke off the hug.

"Huh? You're asking me?" Ringo asked.

" **What?! You mean you don't know?!** "

"Hey, I'm only an expert at math. Not any of this "romance" stuff."

"And yet, you're going to high school…"

"I can do without the insults, thank you." Ringo retorted.

" _ ***sigh***_ Great. We haven't even done anything and we're already stumped."

"Calm down, will you. I could just call Ris and ask him what to do. He's more of an expert on this than I am."

"Sounds great!" I said happily. I then gain a random thought in my mind that's been bugging me for a while.

"By the way, Ringo. Just what is Risukuma?" I asked.

Ringo went silent for a second while trying to think of an answer.

"You know…I'm not really sure." She said. "He says he's a squirrel bear, but when I Googled it, I found no proof of that species ever existing. I keep asking him if I could cut him open and see his insides for research, but he always refuses."

 _What the hell…_

"Ringo…" I said with a sweatdrop. "I'm pretty sure any sane person would say no to that."

"Really?"

"Really."

" _ ***sigh***_ I guess you're right." She sounded disappointed.

"Hey, we got some time left before I have to go help decorate for the festival. Wanna play a game?"

"Sure, I'm game. And I know exactly what game to play."

"Ringo. Are you saying…"

Ringo didn't respond right away and instead began giggling in a creepy way.

" _Fufufu._ Dearest cousin Lidelle Namanari… **I CHALLENGE YOU TO A MARIO KART TOURNAMENT!** "

" _ ***giggle***_ I see. Very well then, dearest cousin Ringo Ando. I accept your challenge. Prepare to be beaten by one of _**THE**_ Mario Kart Masters in the world."

"We'll see about that. Well, then…"

" **IT'S ON!** " We both shouted with determination.

" _ARF! ARF ARF ARF!_ "

* * *

The two of us then binged a whole bunch of Mario Kart Arcade GP DX tournaments. I won some, Ringo won some, and then there were times that we both lost.

One example is that both of us were neck & neck in this one race and it was the final lap. We were both inching the finish line…

…When we both got hit with a Blue Shell.

Then a Lightning strike.

Then two Red Shells.

Then two random Green Shells.

And then we both got hit with a passing Bullet Bill. Which made us get 11th (me) and 12th (Ringo) respectfully.

" **ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!** " We both shouted.

Let's just say…we gave up after that moment.

"Lidelle, sweetie." Mother said as she came into my room. "Weren't you supposed to go help decorate for the festival?"

"Yeah, I was going to go around 2:30." I said.

"Sweetie…it's almost 8:30 at night."

"Huh?" I looked at the clock on my phone to see that it really was almost 8:30 at night. 8:27 pm, to be exact.

" **WAH!** **I lost track of time!** "

"Woah. I can't believe we've played this game all day. I haven't played this much in a long time." Ringo said. Just as shocked as me.

"Yeah, me neither. It's been a while since I've done this."

"Well, it's okay. I'm sure they got most of it done anyway." Mother said. "Dinner's almost ready. So, you girls go on and get changed for bed."

"Okay, Mother."

"Okay, Auntie."

As Mother went back to the kitchen, we turned off the game and changed into our pajamas. Then we went to the living room and sat at the table, where Poochy wasted no time in climbing on my lap and licking my face.

"Haha! Poochy! Come on, stop it! It tickles!" I begged.

" _ARF ARF!_ "

"I know you missed me, but you're going to end up licking my face off."

" _ARF ARF!_ "

"You and Poochy really do love each other, huh?" Ringo asked.

"He's friendly with everyone, but he shows extreme affection with me."

"Gee, I wish I had a pet. My parents keep saying no because we live in a produce store and it would "get in the way". It sucks."

"Wow. It really does."

Then out of nowhere, Poochy stopped licking me and charged at Ringo. And was now licking her face to no end.

" _ ***giggle***_ **Poochy Come on! Down boy! It really tickles!** "

" _ARF ARF ARF!_ "

"Come on, Poochy. Time to eat." Mother said as she entered the room. Poochy then jumped off of Ringo and sat next to me. Waiting patiently for his food.

"You okay, Ringo?" I asked as I pulled her up.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You were right, though. Poochy licking your face really does tickle." She said.

We all ate dinner and then afterward we went back to my room to talk about what to do tomorrow.

"So I asked Ris for any advice on how to confess your love for someone." Ringo said. "It took me a while to convince him that it's not me. But once that was settled, he sent me this text with tips on how to do it."

"I see. What did he say?" I asked.

"He said all you need to do is do these 3 things. First, spend the entire day with this person, just the two of you."

"Okay…" I said.

"Second, don't give any hints of your feelings towards this person, that includes blushing."

"Uh-huh…"

"And third, when the time comes, take them to a secluded spot and tell that person how you truly feel. And don't rush the response out of that person."

"Interesting…"

 _Wow. Risukuma really is an expert._

"He also left a fourth thing. B-But I told him it wasn't…n-necessary."

"What was it?"

"W-Well…y-you know…wh-what I thought earlier…"

…

…

"O-Oh. Y-Yeah, I-I get it." We both had gained light blushes on our cheeks from the thought.

 _Yep. Definitely an expert…_

"A-Anyway." Ringo continued. "Aside from that one, these tips should help you confess to this Ally girl tomorrow."

"You really think so?" I asked.

"Positive. But in order for them to work, you know what you have to do."

"Do what?"

"You know. Text Ally and ask if she wants to go to the festival with you."

" **H-Huh?! D-Do I really have to do that?!** "

"Do you want this to work or not?"

…

…

"Yeah, I do." I said silently. "Pass me my phone."

Ringo handed over my cell phone and I scrolled through my contacts to find Ally's number. Once I did, I opened the messaging app and texted her a message.

" _Hey, Ally. Want to go to the summer festival with me tomorrow?_ "

Once done I hit the sent button.

"Alright, I sent it." I said.

"Great! Now we just wait for a response." Ringo said.

 _The wait is going to kill me..._

* * *

 **Ally's POV**

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Hey, Ally. Want to go to the summer festival with me tomorrow?_ "

"I-Is…Is she serious? Sh-She wants to go with me?! **FOR REAL?! S-So that means…** I can confess to her. And during the summer festival, too. It's all too perfect! I-I must be dreaming!"

…

…

" **AMMY!** "

" **Wh-What, Ally?! Why are you screaming?!** " Ammy asked as she came into the bathroom.

"Quick! Pinch me! I need to make sure that I'm awake!"

"Wh-What? No! Just hurry up and come out of the bathroom! I want to bathe for the festival tomorrow!" Ammy then closed the door and left me all alone with a towel around my body.

" _ ***sigh***_ Figured that was too much. B-But what about this text? What do I say to her? I-I mean I want to go, but…m-me and Lidelle. Together alone. Wearing yukatas at the summer festival. Together alone. Eating festival food and playing festival games. Together alone.

 _Together alone…_

 _Together alone…_

 _Together alone…_ "

I felt my naked wet body getting hot from excitement. The more I thought of being alone with Lidelle, the dirtier I became. And the fact that I was currently naked only made it worse.

" _Wh-What the hell is wrong with me? Thinking about my crush while naked in the bathroom. I really am a pervert. How can I confess to her with me acting like this? She'll never…_ "

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

" _ **Ally, for God's sake! Get out of the bathroom already!**_ "

"S-Sorry, Ammy! I-I'm coming out!"

I picked up my phone and stared at the message Lidelle had sent me. Now positive about what to say after thinking about it this whole stressful 10 minutes of my life.

"This is…This is the only option. No going back."

* * *

 **Lidelle's POV**

After 10 agonizing minutes, the phone chimed letting us know that we got a message.

" _Sure! I'll go with you, Lidelle! Can't wait!_ _ ***smile emoji***_ "

I froze in shock when I read the response.

"Well? What did she say?" Ringo asked.

"S-S-She said yes. She said yes! **OMG** , **SHE SAID YES!** "

"Alright, alright. Calm down, will ya? I'll send you the list so you can memorize it for tomorrow. Just follow these and your confession will go perfectly."

"Thanks, Ringo! You're the best!"

"You're welcome, Lidelle. I'm just glad I could come visit you again. Today was so much fun."

"Yeah. It was."

…

…

"You're not going to fall in love with me now, are you?"

" **H-How can you even joke about that?!** " I yelled with a blush on my face.

" _ ***giggle***_ Alright, aright. Well, I'm gonna call it a day. Goodnight, Lidelle."

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright. Goodnight, Ringo."

Ringo left my room and I was left alone. I couldn't stop staring at the message on my phone. The fact that Ally wants to go with me made my heart flutter like crazy. I was so happy. I wanted tomorrow to come already.

Because I felt like it was going to be the best night of my life!

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **This was originally a 2-parter. And it still is a 2-parter. The chapter is already over 4,500 words before editing. And adding the second part would take it over 9,000 (not a reference to the meme). I have a limit when it comes to writing chapters and that just exceeds it by a lot. Part 2 will be up tomorrow, though.**

 **One change I made from the original writing is that I made Ringo more related to the Namanari Family. The family crest on her stomach and the fact that she has demonic powers (although she's trying to hide them both) are a part of that. I'm not sure what powers she'll have, though. That's something to think about in the future.**

 **Originally, I wrote a scene where Lidelle and Ringo were playing Kirby's Return to Dream Land and were doing the True Arena. If you don't remember, here's how it went.**

 _We ended up playing Return to Dream Land all day, beating both the normal and extra modes, all the challenges, and both arenas. As always, the True Arena took most of our day. We kept using Hammer and Spark with every attempt. And kept failing. But when we weren't being serious anymore and both picked Tornado, we ended up beating it on our first attempt._

" _ **ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!**_ _" We both shouted._

 _Let's just say, we were more angry than proud._

 **I meant to say this at the time, but this EXACT scene happened to me. I spent hours, DAYS even, trying to beat it with Cutter. Then Spark. Then even Hammer. And I STILL couldn't beat it.**

 **But then I used Tornado. And I beat it on the first try.**

…

…

 **Of course, I was pissed.**

 **But in the end, I found it too funny to get mad over. And so, I made a reference to that moment in the story. Plus, it was my first True Arena completion. Gotta be proud of that.**

 **Like I said before, part 2 will be up tomorrow. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	38. Confessions Under the Starry Night Sky 2

**Chapter 38 – Confessions Under the Starry Night Sky (Part 2)**

 _ **Still Lidelle's POV**_

It was the next morning and I was woken up the same way I was yesterday…

…With Poochy barking in my ear.

" _Ugh. Poochy…just five more minutes, please…"_

" _ARF ARF ARF ARF! ARRRRF!_ "

" _ ***moan***_ _Okay, Poochy. I'm up._ "

" _ARF ARF!_ "

 _Geez, I'm starting to sound like Melody._

I got out of bed and freshened myself up for the day. It was back to my normal morning routine once again. So I was the first one up. I had to do my usual shrine maiden duties and the first thing to do was check on the festival area, which was near the shrine. So maybe I can get a sneak peek at what the festival looks like.

No one would know, right?

Although, know that I think about it…it always did bother me on why I had to take care of a demonic shrine when no demon, devil, soul, or hellspawn that I know of uses it. Hell, Akuma doesn't even use it. And he's the only demon in town.

In fact…other than my family, Amitie, Raffina, Melody, and Ally, no one in town really knows that it's a demonic shrine. And it's often used as a regular human one.

 _Maybe Dad knew this, too. I wonder…_

The spot where the Summer Festival was taking place was an area on the outskirts of town known as the Noboruru Highlands. A place not commonly visited, but it's **THE** sight for special events. Like the Summer Festival.

Taking a peek at it wasn't all that exciting. There were a few people already there doing last-minute preparations for their booth. Whether it being food or games or some other random thing. I decided not to bother them.

Once I was done with that, I headed for the shrine to do the work I normally do. As I reached the steps, however, I heard some kind of noise coming from the top. The sound of the bell being rung repeatedly.

"Huh? Is someone using it? Perhaps someone from Hell, finally?"

I climbed up the stairs and saw that someone was ringing the bell that was over the well. But as I got closer to the well, I recognized who it was. It's wasn't a resident of Hell, but…

"A-Ally?!"

"L-Lidelle?!"

…I kinda wish it was.

"Wh-What are you doing here, Lidelle?" Ally asked.

"D-Don't you remember? I come up here every morning to clean up a little."

"R-Right. I-I did forget."

"Wh-What are you doing here? I-I didn't think…y-you know…you'd be up this early."

"O-Oh, w-well…y-you know…uhhh…" Ally was stuttering constantly with her cheeks blushing as red as a tomato. Seeing her stutter like that was so cute that I started blushing a little. But I knew I had to calm down. Like the list said, I can't show any hints of my love towards Ally.

 _Not until tonight, that is._

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I don't you to feel uncomfortable or anything." I said. Calming down my emotions.

"Th-Thanks, Lidelle." Ally said after calming down a little. "You're a really good friend."

 _Friend, huh? Is that how she sees me as?_

I started feeling a little sad after hearing that last sentence. But quickly nulled out the emotion.

"Y…You're welcome. Hey, I was going to do a few things here and then go home to cook breakfast. D-Do you want to…y'know…come over?"

Ally started blushing again but this time she slapped her cheeks while shaking her head, trying to ease up the blushing.

"Sure! I'm pretty hungry anyway. Plus, your cooking is amazing." She said.

" **YAY!** Uh, I mean…sounds great." I had to calm down a bit from the response. "It'll take a few minutes, though. You mind waiting a bit?"

"Sure, I got time. I'll just wait by the steps."

"Okay then. See ya in a bit."

As Ally went pass me, my heart began beating faster than it did before. I wanted to just grab her hand and confess right then and there. Latching my lips onto hers in sweet and pure bliss.

But I had to control my urges a little longer. Until tonight comes along, this is going to be pure hell.

* * *

 **Ally's POV**

" **DAMN IT! WHY THE HELL DID I SAY THAT?! WHY, WHY, WHY?!** "

I was beating myself against a nearby tree at the bottom of the steps while waiting for Lidelle to finish her shrine maiden duties. It was basically self-punishment for what I said when Lidelle said I didn't have to tell her why I was here so early.

"Friend… **FRIEND!** I can't believe I was idiotic enough to say that! Now Lidelle will never give in to the thought that I love her! My one chance and I blew it! Maybe Harpy's airheadedness is becoming a part of me!"

I continued to bang my head on the tree, hoping it would be a good enough punishment for my stupidity. When…

"Hey!"

I heard a voice calling out to me…well, at least I think I did. I banged my head so much that I was starting to get dizzy.

"Hey, you there! With the orange hair!"

"Huh? What?"

That voice was the one of a girl. She was taller than me by like a few inches, and she had long blue hair. Her clothes, which were a mini dress and a long vest strapped on top of it, made me think that she had a huge amount of wealth. Her shoes wear just sandals, although I've never seen ones that looked like hers.

Also in her right hand was a red fan. Not sure why she had one when the sun wasn't out yet, but who am I to judge?

"Hey, I wouldn't bang my head on that tree if I were you." The girl said. "It's bark is said to be really sharp."

"Huh?" I rubbed my forehead a little and looked at my fingers to see that they were covered in blood. " **Aw, crap!** "

"Hold on, keep still." The girl said as she pulled out a rag from her pocket and placed it over my forehead. All of a sudden, the cut that was there started to disappear. And when the rag was removed, there was no trace of blood on it. I was amazed…and a little creeped out.

" **Wh-What just happened?! H-How did you do that?!** " I asked.

"This is a magical rag that heals all cuts and bruises to the point where they never happened." The girl explained.

"Wow, that's so cool! So you know magic?"

The girl went silent for a bit.

"Well…actually I...no. No, I don't."

"Then how did that rag work?"

"Truth is, I stole this from a guy I used to know. He was a total jerk so I took this without him noticing."

"Oh, I get it. Nothing like sweet revenge to get even with the douchebag, right?"

" _Ohhohoho!_ I like the way you think! Did you get revenge on someone?"

"Once, but it was a long time ago. Jerkwad had it coming."

"What he do?"

"Guy was a total prick. So one day, I filled his locker with pictures that I took of girls changing. When he opened his locker and all the pictures fell out, everybody was disgusted by him. And he even got expelled from school. It was one of the best moments of my life!"

"Oh my god, that's so hilarious!" The girl began laughing at my story. "Such an innocent child at first glance, but then turns into a devious soul when pissed off. I wish there were more people like you."

"Gee, thanks! That really made me feel better, miss…"

"Oh, please. Just call me Rulue."

"Rulue, huh? Nice name."

"Thanks. I'm normally known as The Fighting Queen, Rulue-sama, but only a few people get to call me Rulue."

"I got to admit, that name sounds badass."

" _ **Ohhoho!**_ Right? I'm glad someone understands. What's yours?"

"Mine's Ally Nakano. No badass title following it, though. It's as basic as you can get."

"Oh, come on. It's not that bad. I've definitely heard worse."

"Really, like what?"

"Well, just be glad you weren't named Fufufu, or Momomo, or Parara."

"Ouch. Those names suck."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

We both laugh it off, feeling sorry for the poor saps who got stuck with those names.

"Okay, now that we got introductions out the way, be real with me. Why were you banging your head against the tree?" Rulue asked.

"H-Huh?! Y-You really want to know?! I-I mean, w-we just met!" I stuttered.

"Yeah, but you normally don't run into someone whose banging their head against a sharp tree."

 _Damnit. She has a point._

"So, come on. Spit it out already."

"Okay, okay." I said. Then I took a huge breath before I explained everything.

"W-Well, it started a few days ago. I stayed at my friend's house overnight and…well…things happened."

" _ **Things**_ things?" Rulue asked.

"No, just things. I don't think I'm ready yet for **_things_** things."

"Understandable."

"Anyway, after that I started feeling weird. And after talking with someone, I realized that I'm in love with that friend."

"I see. Whatever you and this guy did that night must've really changed your life, huh?"

"M-My friend is a girl."

" **R-Really?!** " Rulue was blushing a little.

"What's with that reaction? You don't have anything against lesbians, do you?"

"O-Of course not! It's just you would think the first thing you would describe your friend is what gender, right?"

"…Yeah, I guess that is important information."

"You think?"

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." Rulue said with a smug.

"Anyway, I want to tell her that I love her, but I have no idea how. I recently had a chance and I blew it. And that's when you showed up."

"I see. Well, unfortunately, I can't really help you much. As I'm not having much luck with love myself."

"Let me guess…it's with that douchebag you mentioned earlier?"

"The same one. I've fallen in love with that guy around the time I was graduating high school. Once I did, I followed him into this strange world with barely anything with me."

"Woah…" I said.

"I was there for years, trying to get him to accept my love for him. But he kept pushing me away, claiming that he loves someone else. And you want to know the insane part? The girl he loves doesn't even like him, yet he's too damn clueless to notice it!"

I noticed Rulue was getting angrier, squeezing her fan like it was a sponge, while I also noticed she was holding back tears in her eyes. I can tell that she's been through hell these last couple of years. It made me rethink the problems I was having with confessing my love for Lidelle.

"I'm sorry, Ally. I made this about me when you're the one asking for help." Rulue said.

"It's okay, Rulue. Really, it is." I said. "I did learn something from all that."

"Really? What's that?"

"Boys are idiots!"

" _Ohhohoho!_ You got that right!"

And again, we laughed it off like it was nothing.

"Hey, Ally!" I heard Lidelle's voice coming from the steps behind me and sure enough, she was coming down the stairs to meet up with me.

"Sorry I took so long. With the festival being tonight, I had to do extra work, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it. You had to do what you had to do." I said.

"So, who's your friend?"

"Oh, right. Lidelle, this here is the Fighting Queen, Rulue-sama!"

"W-Wow…th-that's quite the name…"

"You can just call me Rulue." Rulue said.

"Okay, then. It's nice to meet you, Rulue. My name's Lidelle Namanari."

"Lidelle…N-Namanari?!" Rulue suddenly yelled.

"What's up, Rulue?" I asked.

"O-Oh, nothing. It's just…that name sounded familiar to me for some reason."

"It does?" Lidelle and looked at each other with looks of confusion.

"D-Don't worry about it. I'm fine, now."

"Okay…" We both said.

 _Now I think something's up…_

"Anyway, I'm all done here. Let's go to my house so I can make breakfast." Lidelle said.

"Sounds good to me!" I said cheerfully.

"You can come too if you want, Rulue."

"Really? I won't be intruding?"

"Not at all. With more people there, I can make an excuse to Mother for me making more food!"

"She loves eating. And so do I." I explained to Rulue.

"I see…" Rulue said with a sweatdrop. "Well, if you insist, I'll tag along."

"Great. My house isn't that far from here. It's only a few minutes."

"Alright! Then, without further ado… _ **Let's fall in love!**_ " I yelled out, then immediately covered my mouth. Lidelle started laughing almost instantly.

"Say what now?" Rulue was confused by what I just said, and was also blushing a little.

" **Th-That's just something I spill out at random! I-It doesn't mean what you think it means, I swear!** "

"Okay…I guess."

 _Now I'm pretty sure Rulue thinks I'm a creep…_

"L-Let's just go already! I'm starving!"

"Alright, alright." Lidelle said.

As we were walking down the block Rulue whispered something into my ear.

" _So, I'm guessing that's the girl you were talking about?_ " She asked.

" _Y-Yeah. Th-That's her._ " I said while emulating a faint blush on my cheeks. " _That's the love of my life._ "

" _I see…_ "

"Hey, are you guys coming or what?" Lidelle asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Coming, Lidelle!" I said as I ran up her. Rulue continued her normal pace as she walked behind us. Not sure if she's doing this on purpose or not, but if she is…

 _Thanks, Rulue. You're a huge help._

* * *

 **Lidelle's POV**

 _ **Th-This is not good!**_

When I found out that Ally was talking to this Rulue girl, I felt an extreme level of jealousy. Which was a whole new emotion to me. Looking at her now, Rulue looks like she's about 3 years older than me. So even if she did swing that way (I'm not too sure if she does), she could try to go for Ally.

 _Th-That can't happen, right? I-I mean, Ally's standing next to me and Rulue's walking slowly behind us. Could it be?  
Is she trying to go for Ally?! Am I going to lose my chance?! What to do, what to do?!_

"Hey, Lidelle. You okay? You were spacing out just now." Ally said to me.

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah. I'm fine." I said. "I was just thinking of…s-some stuff."

"Stuff like what?"

"U-Uh…w-well…" I couldn't tell Ally that I was thinking of her. It would break the rules I'm supposed to be following. I had to think of something and fast.

"J-Just…Just thinking of to make for breakfast! Yeah, that's it!"

"O-Oh. Okay then. Can't wait." Ally said with a depressed tone.

 _Why did she sound sad when she said that? Was she hoping I was thinking of something else?_

As I was having that thought, we were coming up to my house. Ally and I got closer to the front door while Rulue stood near the street starring at the house from afar.

"Hey, Rulue, you okay?" Ally asked.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine. It's just…this house looks strangely familiar to me."

"It does?" I asked. "Do you know why?"

"I…can't remember all too well. Maybe if I go inside, I'll get a better grasp of it."

"Okay, then. Front door's this way."

As I opened the door, the first thing that came into view was Poochy tackling me down to the floor. Licking my face as usual.

"P-Poochy! C-Calm down! I missed you too! Just stop licking me, please!"

" _ARF ARF!_ "

Poochy jump off me and got up off the floor. As I did so, Ringo came up to the front door.

"Morning, Lidelle."

"Morning, Ringo."

"Who are your friends?"

"Well…"

I took Ringo to the side and begun whispering to her.

" _Th-The girl with orange hair. That's Ally._ "

" _Really?_ " Ringo looked at Ally for a second and then looked back at me. " _Damn, she's cute. I would go after her myself if I wasn't helping you._ "

" _Hey!_ "

" _What? I'm just saying._ "

Ringo's bisexual. So, she often gets interests in boys and girls alike. It's also the reason why she can never keep a relationship longer than 2 weeks. She's just **THAT** curious.

 _Which leaves to question…just how curious is bi-curious?_

" _And the other girl?_ " Ringo asked.

" _Her name's Rulue. We met her at the shrine and I invited her for breakfast._ "

" _I see. Does Auntie know?_ "

" _Do I_ _ ***yawn***_ _know what?_ " Suddenly, Mother came up to us still half asleep.

"Morning, Mother."

"Morning, Auntie."

" _Morning girls. What were we_ _ ***yawn***_ _talking about again?_ "

"Well, I brought Ally and a friend over for breakfast. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course, I don't mind. Ally's always welcome here. But who is this friend you're talking about?"

"Well, we met her at the shrine. She just showed up talking to Ally when I finished my work."

"Huh. Weird. I'll just go meet this other guest then." Mother went passed us towards the front door and we followed her there.

"Hello there, Ally. Nice to see you again."

"Same to you, uh…Yumi." Ally said.

"Wait… **Yumi?!** " Rulue suddenly said out loud.

Mother took a good look at Rulue and soon gave out a smile.

"Oh, my! Rulue-senpai! It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Rulue…senpai?" Ally, Ringo, and I asked.

"Mother. Do you and Rulue know each other?"

"Yes, actually. We went to the same high school."

"Wait, really?!"

"Yep. When Rulue-senpai graduated, though, she disappeared while following this guy that she fell in love with. This is the first time I've seen her since then."

"Same here. Never thought I would see you again, Yumi." Rulue said. "I didn't think you would leave Suzuran after graduating. Considering how much you loved it there."

"As much as I did, it wasn't the right setting to raise a family. At least, not **MY** family."

"Makes sense."

"Wait, Suzuran? What school did you two go to?" Ally asked.

"Oh, we went to Suzuran High School."

"No way! Really?!" Ally and I shouted.

"Why is that shocking news?"

"Yumi…did you and Rulue know three other girls who were named Harmony, Melody, and Lily?"

"Huh? Do you mean Harmony-senpai, Melody-senpai, and Lily? Yeah, I knew them." Mother said.

"Harmony, Melody, and Lily? Geez, I haven't heard those names in a long time." Rulue said.

"Well, those two said they went to Suzuran High School, too." I said.

"Yeah, we were all friends there." Mother claimed.

" **No way!** "

"Harmony and Melody graduated the same year I did. But I haven't seen them since." Rulue said.

"Well, Harmony was our teacher for the last 10 years. She went by Ms. Accord." I said. "And Lily is a maid here for my friend."

"And I live with Melody and her daughter, who's my best friend." Ally added.

"Really now?" Mother asked. "Small world."

"Hey, how about after breakfast I take you guys over to Melody's house?"

"You would really do that, Ally?" Mother asked.

"Sure, I don't mind."

"Then how about we go now?"

" **H-Huh?!** "

"Great idea, Yumi. I bet Melody will be surprised to see us." Rulue said.

"Right? Just let me change into a new yukata then we'll leave."

"W-Wait a sec…" I said. But was ignored.

"Still refusing to wear anything but yukatas huh?"

"You know me, Rulue-senpai. Other clothes are so uncomfortable. It was bad enough that I had to wear that school uniform."

"You still haven't changed, Yumi. Even after all these years."

The rest of us stood there watching the whole conversation with Mother and Rulue. Sure, I was happy for Mother for reuniting with her old classmate after so many years, but at the same time…I was kinda sad that I wasn't going to cook breakfast for Ally. I was really looking forward to eating with her and possibly making our friendship strong enough for tonight.

 _ ***sigh***_ _So much for that._

"I'm just gonna feed Poochy real quick." I said. "I'll meet you guys out front."

"Alright, sweetie." Mother said to me.

* * *

I went outside to the garden and closed the door behind me, then I proceeded to call out Poochy's name.

"Poochy!"

No response.

"Poochy! Breakfast!"

Still nothing.

" _ ***sigh***_ Great. The one time that I want him to show his excessive affection, he doesn't show up. Just my luck."

I sat down on the porch feeling depressed about how this plan of mine was already failing. This was the first time I've ever fallen in love with someone and I just wanted it to go right, but so far…that isn't happening. I was about to just straight up cry right then and there when I heard the door open and I turned around to see who it was.

"H-Hey, Lidelle."

"A-Ally? What's wrong?"

"N-Nothing's wrong. I…I-I just wanted to apologize."

"For what? You did nothing wrong. What happened with Mother and Rulue was just pure coincidence. We didn't know they knew each other."

"Yeah, but now we're going over to Ami's house instead of eating food that you cooked. I really wanted to eat some of your food."

When Ally said that, I started blushing and my heart began beating faster. She really wanted to eat with me. Does that mean she really likes my cooking? Or is it something else entirely?

I was about to reply to that statement when the door opened again and out came Ringo.

"Hey, Lidelle. You feeling okay?" She asked as she closed and locked the door behind her.

"It could be better, Ringo. It could be better."

"Well, I did manage to convince Auntie and Rulue to wait until the Summer Festival to see their friends again. So, there's that."

" _ ***sigh***_ Great." I was happy about that. But at the same time, I wasn't. I'm not sure why.

"Hey, Lidelle. Who's this?" Ally asked.

"Oh, right. This is my cousin, Ringo Ando. She's staying here for the summer."

"Oh, I see. Nice to meet you, Ringo. My name's Ally Nakano."

"Nice to meet you, Ally. Lidelle's told me about you."

"R-Really? L-Like what?" Ally began stuttering.

"She told me how you two had so much fun during your sleepover. She sounded really happy when telling me too."

"S-She did?!"

 _R-Ringo! What are you doing?!_

"Yeah. It sounded to me that she really enjoyed your time together."

"L-Lidelle? I-Is that true?" Ally asked me.

…

…

"L-Lidelle…?"

" **Of course it is! I really enjoyed you being there! In fact, when you went home the next day, I was miserable!** " I shouted.

" **Me too! I didn't want to leave, but I really didn't have a choice!** " Ally shouted. Then calmed down a little "Y-You know, with my stuff being there and all."

"Yeah…true."

We then starred into each other's eyes for what felt like hours. My heart was racing, my face was red, and I was sweaty all over my body. The fact that Ally was staring into my eyes and I was staring into hers, her beautiful emerald green eyes, I was losing it! I felt like I was going insane! I knew I had to do it! Right here, right now!

" **I'M SORRY, RINGO! I CAN'T DO IT! I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! KEEPING IT INSIDE IS EATING MY HEART AWAY! I HAVE TO TELL HER!** " I shouted.

"W-Wait, Lidelle! A-Are you serious?!"

"H-Huh?! T-Tell me what?!" Ally said while being caught off guard by my sudden outburst.

I grabbed hold of Ally's hands and looked her in her eyes again. I then took a huge breath before saying the words that would either make my life a blissful heaven or an eternal hell.

And I'm hoping for the former.

"Ally…Ally Nakano… **I LOVE YOU! I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART! PLEASE! PLEASE BE WITH ME FOREVER! PLEASE BE MINE!** "

I began looking down, catching my breath as I waited for a response. When I looked up again, I saw that Ally was in full tears. I was starting to feel awful. I suddenly told one of my friends that I loved her right out of the blue without any sort of warning. I bet she hates me now.

"A-Ally…Ally, I'm so-

I was in the middle of apologizing to her when Ally just straight up kissed me on the lips out of nowhere.

 _Th-This is it…my first kiss! It feels so good! I never want this to end! But…why is she kissing me when she looks upset?_ _ **OH NO! THIS IS A PITTY KISS, ISN'T IT?!**_

When Ally pulled away from me, she had a huge smile on her face and tears were still running down her face. She also grabbed my hands and held them tighter than when I was holding hers.

"Lidelle…Lidelle Namanari… **I LOVE YOU, TOO! I WANTED TO CONFESS DAYS AGO, BUT WAS TOO SCARED TO DO IT! I'M SO HAPPY YOU LOVE ME, TOO! I WANT TO BE WITH YOU FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!** "

When I heard that, I began crying as well. Not only does Ally love me, but she was also trying to confess, too. I've never felt so happy in my life! I've finally found my true love! And we'll be within each other's hearts forever!

" **ALLY!** "

" **LIDELLE!** "

We both hugged each other before sharing another kiss on each other's lips. Ringo watched over us, clapping her hands while trying to hold in her tears. I was so immersed in confessing to Ally that I forgot she was there.

 _Wait, why was she here?_

"Well, congratulations, you two. I just wish the list went to some use in it all."

"Y-Yeah…sorry about that, Ringo." I said. "I just couldn't wait anymore. It was starting to hurt."

" _ ***sigh***_ I guess I can understand."

"Wait, what list?" Ally asked.

"I asked my friend back in Suzuran to give advice for Lidelle to use to confess to you. We were following said advice, but…you know."

"Oh, I see now." Ally then turned to me. "You were _**really**_ eager to confess, huh? Do you love me that much?"

"Dummy. Of course, I do. I want you for the rest of my life."

" _ ***giggle***_ Well same here, my little Demonic Princess."

We both gave each other another kiss and hugged each other for a while. Ally's body felt so warm and soft. Like a heated pillow. I could just fall asleep on her.

"Uh…guys." Ringo said.

We both looked at each other. Then looked at Ringo with confused looks.

"You're still here?" We both asked.

"Freaking hilarious…" Ringo said with a pissed off tone.

Just as she said that the three of us saw that the sun had fully raised up for the day. Meaning that it was the day of the Summer Festival.

" _Wow…_ " We all said.

 _Well…I came close, I guess._

" _ ***growl***_ "

"S-Sorry." Ally said. "I didn't anything before leaving Ami's. I was really hoping to eat your cooking, Lidelle."

"I see. Well, I think I have to go out and buy more food again."

"No, you don't." Ringo said. "We got donuts and kolaches in the kitchen. I got them while you were out."

"Really? Sounds good to me. Ready to eat, Ally?"

" **Sure am! Let's go!** " Ally cheered.

"What, no " _ **Let's fall in love!**_ " this time?"

"Geez, it hasn't even been 10 minutes since we became a couple and you're already teasing me."

"Sorry, sorry."

"Nah, don't be. I already love it!"

After a quick laugh, we held each other's hand and walked inside the house, getting ready to eat our first breakfast together as a couple.

 _The first of many, I mean._ _ ***giggle***_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Lidelle and Ally become a couple, Rulue makes an appearance…I honestly don't have much to say here. I almost gave up on this chapter mainly because I wasn't feeling like doing it. I probably won't come back to this story until Wednesday. These three took a lot of my energy to write more for it. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	39. The Summer Festival

**Chapter 39 – The Summer Festival**

 **Ally's POV**

Later that night, the three of us changed into our yukatas and headed for the summer festival. Lidelle and I were walking with our hands held together as hard as we can without injuring each other. While Ringo walked along beside us.

"Well, look at the two love birds just strolling along without a care in the world. It's _**so**_ sweet." Ringo said.

"Knock it off, Ringo." Lidelle said.

"Oh, come on, Lidelle. I'm only kidding. I'm really happy for you two. Being in love with each other and being a couple…I'm actually a little jealous."

"Jealous? Of us?" I asked.

"Yeah. I kinda wish I had someone to love."

"Well, you would've had someone by now if you would just stick with one person instead of jumping through relationships like how Dongurigaeru jumps through ponds." Lidelle said to her.

" _ **Hey!**_ "

"Stick with one person?" I asked.

"Ringo's bi."

" _Oh._ "

 _Seriously? That's unexpected._

"Hey, I can't help it if the person I'm with is boring. I want someone who excites me. Is that too much to ask?" Ringo said.

"Then why don't you just go out with Maguro already?" Lidelle asked.

"N-No way! Maguro's off-limits! I don't want to ruin our friendship."

"Who's Maguro?" I asked.

"My best friend since childhood. I'm with him a lot. So I **REFUSE** to date him. We're better off just being friends, anyway."

"Don't worry, Ringo. I get where you're coming from."

"You do? How?" Lidelle asked me.

"Well…promise you won't get mad?"

"Silly. Why would I get mad? I love you."

I blushed a little when she said that.

 _Damn. She's already getting to me. This girl's good._

"Alright. Well, at one point…I did had a crush on Ami."

" **H-Huh?! Really?!** "

"You said you wouldn't get mad."

"I'm not mad, just shocked."

"And Ami is…" Ringo said.

"My best friend who I'm living with. We've known each other since childhood. Much like you and Maguro."

"Oh. I see."

"So, how long did this crush last?" Lidelle asked.

"I-I swear, it was only a phase. It went away after a year or two or so."

" _A year or two or so?_ " Lidelle then looked at me with an eyebrow raised.

"Wait, are you jealous?"

"I'm not. It's just that seems rather odd to me. Even if you were a kid at the time."

"She's jealous." Ringo said.

" **I'm not!** "

…

…

…

"Lidelle…" I said.

"Okay, fine! I'm jealous! Now what?"

I giggled a bit before kissing Lidelle on the lips before parting away from her.

"That's what happens when you get jealous." I said with a smile.

"You're a weirdo, you know that?"

"Yes. But I'm _**your**_ weirdo now."

"So damn cute." Ringo said.

All three of us laughed as we continued our walk to the festival.

* * *

"Woah! Look at this place! It's so lively!" Ringo said.

"I have to admit, Lidelle. Primp really knows how to throw a festival." I said to her.

"I know, right? We always go all-out when it comes to these types of things."

We arrived at the festival and were amazed at what we saw. Lights all over the place, booths lined up the ally way, tons of people walking around, playing games, eating food, or just having fun. It was an awesome sight.

"So, what are we doing first?" I asked eagerly.

"Well, we're supposed to wait for the others to show up. Once they do, we'll find something to do."

" _ ***whine***_ _How long is that gonna take?_ "

"I don't know, Ally. I can't just magically bring them here."

" _Well, you_ _ **ARE**_ _the Demonic Princess…_ " I pouted.

"That's not what my powers are for."

"Hey! Lidelle! Ally!"

We heard Ami's voice and sure enough, there she was with Raffina, Melody, Raffina's sister Amira, her clone now known as Raina, and their maid Lily. She was the only one not wearing a yukata. I guess she's still on the clock or something.

"Hey, guys. You all look nice." Lidelle said.

"Thanks, you do too." Raffina replied.

" **Geez, Ally! Why didn't you call or text me that you were with Lidelle all day?! I was worried, y'know?!** " Ami scolded me.

 _She was…worried?_

"S-Sorry, Ami. I was…k-kinda busy with something."

"Like what?"

" _Well…_ " I rolled my eyes downward to the ground.

Ami followed my eyes to where they were looking at. It took her a while to notice where they were pointing at, but when she did…

" **OH…MY…GOD!** **You didn't! Are you two for real?!** "

"Yep, Ami! We're for real! Lidelle and I are officially a couple!"

"Holy crap!" Raffina said, sounding just as shocked. "I knew there was something going on with you two, but I didn't think it would lead to this!"

"Alright, Mel!" Amira shouted. "You know what this means, right?"

"Sure do, Amira!" Melody replied.

" **MORE LESBOS TO TEASE!** " They both yelled out.

"Mom!" Ami shouted.

"Amira!" Raffina also shouted.

"Melody-senpai, Miss Amira…there is _**truly**_ something wrong with you two." The other woman said in a disdained tone.

"I seriously agree with you, Lily." Raffina said.

" _Hey!_ " Both women felt insulted.

" _Lesbos? Is that another type of sex drink?_ " Raina asked. Which made Melody, Amira, and I laugh, Ami and Lidelle uncomfortable, and Raffina and Lily facepalm hard.

"No, you damn idiot." Raffina said to her. "Just forget about that already."

" _ ***whine***_ _But I'm thirsty! Can I have some Sex on the Beach?!_ "

That's when everyone within earshot stopped any looked at us with looks of total shock and utterly disturbed.

"Sh-She means the drink, everyone! Th-The drink! Th-There's nothing to worry about here! Please enjoy the Summer Festival. _Hehhehheh._ "

Everyone soon went back to enjoying the festivities while Lily took a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Lily." Raffina said. Then she slapped her clone in the back of the head in anger.

" _Owie!_ "

"Damn moron. You almost screwed us over."

" _I'm sorry, okay!? You_ _ ***sniff***_ _You didn't have to hit me!_ "

"Alright. Settle down, you two." Lily said.

"Yes, Lily."

" _Yes, Lily._ " Both girls said.

"So who's your friend, guys?" Ami asked.

"This is my cousin, Ringo Ando." Lidelle answered. "She's visiting here for the summer."

"Your cousin? You mean the one who lives in Suzuran?"

"Yep, that's me. Nice to meet you." Ringo said.

"Hiya, Ringo. My name's Amitie Rose. This here's my mom, Melody. She can be a handful sometimes."

"Hey!" Melody yelled. "There's no way that's true!"

"It's 100% true." Ami, Raffina, Lidelle, and Lily retorted.

" **Hmph.** Whatever."

"Anyway. This girl next to me is my girlfriend, Raffina Fielding." Ami continued.

"Nice to meet you, Ringo." Raffina said.

"Your girlfriend? Wow, so like…is every girl here a lesbian?" Ringo asked.

"I'm not." Melody said.

"I'm straight." Amira replied.

"Ditto." Lily added.

" _I'm thirsty. Does that count?_ " Raina asked.

"No, Miss Raina."

 _Huh. So, did the lesbian gene skip a generation or something?_

As I was having that thought, another one came to mind.

"Hey, Lily. You call Melody "senpai" a lot, right?" I asked her.

" _ ***sigh***_ Yes, it's an old habit of mine." Lily said while blushing of embarrassment. "We did go to the same high school together."

"Why are you bringing this up now, Ally?" Ami asked.

Lidelle and I looked at each other with smiles then looked back at the others.

"Well…" As we were about to explain, we heard someone call our names.

"Hey, Lidelle! Ally!"

"Over here, Mother!" Lidelle said.

"Mother? Lidelle, you brought your mom?" Raffina asked.

"Yeah. We come here every year. It's like a family tradition."

"I see."

"There you two are. Sorry, we're late. We kinda got lost a little." Yumi said as she and Rulue walked up to us. And as we expected, Melody and Lily had looks of complete shock on their faces.

" **N-No way! Yumi?! Rulue?!** " Melody yelled.

" **Y-Yumi?! R-Rulue-senpai?!** " Lily shouted.

"Well, it's been a while hasn't it, Melody-senpai and Lily? Yumi said.

" _ **Ohhohoho!**_ Long time no see, you two. It really has been a while." Rulue added.

As the four friends reunited each other with hugs, Ami, Raffina, and Amira were confused about what was happening.

"Well, you see guys, my mom and her friend Rulue also went to school with Melody, Ms. Accord, and Lily." Lidelle explained.

"They were all friends there, too." I added.

" **SERIOUSLY?!** " The other three yelled.

"Yeah, we were shocked too."

"Oh man! This is just great! I never thought I would see any of you guys again! I've got to tell Harmony this!" Melody said as she pulled out her phone.

"Put her on speaker, Mel! I want to talk to her, too!" Rulue said.

"Alright!"

Melody dialed the number and put the phone on speaker. After a few rings, someone finally picked up.

" _Hello?_ "

"Hey, Harm! Where are you? You're missing all the fun!" Melody said.

" _G-Geez, Melody! I can't believe you made me come here wearing this thing! It's so embarrassing!_ "

"Aw come on, Harm! You even said you liked it!"

" _That's because I didn't think I was going to the summer festival!_ "

" _You're overreacting, meow. You look fine._ "

"See? Even Popoi agrees with me! And that rarely happens."

" _B-But…_ "

"Just get down here, Harmony-senpai!" Lily said.

"I want to see you in your cute yukata, Harmony-senpai." Yumi added.

"Quit being shy and just live a little for once, Harmony!" Rulue said.

…

…

" _Okay, I recognized Lily's voice. But w_ _hat were those other two voices?_ "

"You're just gonna have to get here to find out, Harm!" Melody teased.

" _H-Hey, wait! Mel-_

Melody hanged up the phone and grew a smile on her face.

"You think that will get her to come?" Yumi asked.

"Trust me. Once Harmony's curiosity is triggered, she won't stop until she finds out what it is. She'll be here." Melody replied.

"That…is true."

"Hey, guys! Sorry, we're late!" A voice said.

We turned around to see Arle, Schezo, Harpy, Sig, and a little girl walking towards us. The two boys wearing normal clothes and not yukatas.

I then noticed Rulue gaining not only a surprised look on her face but also somewhat of an annoyed one.

"What the…Arle?! Schezo?! Harpy?! What are _**you**_ three doing here?" She asked.

" **Rulue?! You're here too?!** " Arle said in a shocked voice.

" **Woah! Rulue's here! So totally tubular!** " Harpy cheered.

" _So much for peace and quiet…_ " Schezo whispered.

" **What was that, Schezo?!** " Rulue shouted while gesturing a fist with her hand.

" _ ***sigh***_ It's nice to see you again, Rulue."

"Hmph. That's what I thought you said."

"Rulue, you and Arle know each other?" Melody asked.

"Yeah, we do. It's a long story, though. And I rather not talk about it."

"I see. Well, then I won't force ya."

"Rulue, how do you and Melody know each other?" Arle asked.

"Well, if you must know, Melody and I were friends in high school. Along with these two." Rulue then pointed to Lily and Yumi.

"Woah, you went to high school? Lucky! I wish I went there instead of doing all that crap with Sa-

" **PLEASE** don't say that name! I don't want to hear it ever again."

"You and me both." Now it was Arle who had the annoyed look on her face.

"Rulue, how did you get here anyway?" Schezo asked.

"How am I supposed to know? I was in the forest boiling in anger because of… _ **THAT**_ guy when out of nowhere, a lightning bolt struck me and knocked me out. Then I woke up her and after walking a few miles, I ran into Yumi."

 _Wait a second. That's the same as how Schezo and Harpy got here. So does that mean Rulue is the fourth person to come out of the Dimensional Mirror?_

…

…

 _I should probably bring this up with the others later._

"So you were in that other world this whole time, Rulue-senpai?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, pretty much." Rulue said. "I never thought I would be able to come back to this world. Glad I did, though."

"We are too, Rulue." Melody said.

* * *

We decided to walk around the festival, with the adults in the back and us out in front. While walking, we were talking about…actually, I had no idea what we were talking about. I spaced out a couple of times because I was holding Lidelle's hand…and it felt so warm. It was like I was holding a freshly made cup of hot chocolate while sitting next to a warm fireplace. I think I might die from this blissful feeling eventually.

 _Gah! I can't help myself! I love this feeling so much!_

" _Ally…_ "

" _Ally…_ "

" **ALLY!** "

"H-Huh?!" I came back into reality to see Harpy floating in front of me.

"Oh, hey Harpy! What's up?" I asked.

"Ally…you're not sad anymore, right?"

"I'm feeling much better now, Harpy. Sorry for making you worry."

"It's okay! As long as you're happy, I'm happy!"

"That's great to hear, Harpy." I said with a smile.

"By the way, I've been meaning to ask you something."

"Really? Ask me what?"

"What's sex?"

All of a sudden, our group just stopped with some of us beginning to panic.

" _Huh? Sex? That's a weird word. What is it?_ " Raina asked.

"Oh, that? It's when you…"

" **ALLY!** " Ami yelled at me.

"It's when you…"

" **SCHEZO!** " Arle yelled at him.

"It's when you…"

" **AMIRA!** " Raffina yelled at her.

"It's when you…"

" **MELODY-SENPAI!** " Lily yelled at her.

"What's the big deal, Ami? They're gonna have to know eventually." I said.

" **NO, THEY DON'T!** " The other girls (including Lidelle, excluding Yumi and Rulue) yelled back.

" _ ***giggle***_ Just like old times, right Rulue-senpai?" Yumi asked her.

"A little too much like it..." Rulue said with a sweatdrop.

"Uh…Shigu. What just happened?" Asked the girl standing next to Sig.

"I dunno, Chu. I'm as stumped as you." Sig said.

"Chu? Sig, who's the girl standing next to you?" Lidelle asked.

"My sister, Chu."

"Chu!" The girl said.

"Aw, she's adorable. Hi, Chu. My name's Lidelle."

"Nice to meet you, uh…"

…

…

"…Rita."

"That's not even close to my name." Lidelle said with a sweatdrop.

"Chu's really bad with names." Sig explained.

"She'll only remember some variant of your name." Arle added.

"But nowhere in my name does "Rita" exist!"

"I think it's cute, sweetie." Yumi said.

"M-Mother…"

"We feel your pain, Lidelle." Ami said. "Chu calls me Amytee."

"And she calls me Waffine." Raffina said.

"And she calls me Aruru." Arle said.

I was trying to hold in my laughter from hearing those names, but ended up failing and began laughing as hard as I could. Which made the other girls angry.

"Oh, yeah! _**Real**_ funny, Ally!" Ami said. Sounding insulted in the process.

"I'm sorry, Ami. It's just too funny!" I said while still laughing.

"Well, if you think it's so funny, then why don't you tell Chu what your name is and see what see comes up with?" Raffina demanded.

"Okay, sure! I could use a good laugh!"

After I calmed down a little, I walked over to Chu and crouch down to her level.

"Hiya, Chu! Name's Ally." I said.

"Nice to meet you, uh…"

…

…

"…Ally."

" **ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!** " Ami, Raffina, Lidelle, and Arle shouted in rage.

"No ridiculous nickname?" I asked.

"Your name's easy for me to remember." Chu said.

"What about mine? My name's Ringo." Ringo said.

"It nice to meet you, uh…"

…

…

"…Apple."

"W-Well, you're close." Ringo said with a sweatdrop.

"Really? How is she close?" I asked.

"My name is Japanese for apple."

"Wow! Chu, you know Japanese?" Ami asked.

"Yeah. I speak it fluently." Chu said.

"Cool! Can you speak some for us?" Raffina asked.

"Uh…"

Chu stood there expressionless for a few seconds, trying to think of what to say. When she did, she turned to Sig while tugging on his jacket to get his attention.

"Oni-chan, onakagasuita. Ima, nanika tabete moraemasu ka?"

"Oh yeah. We should probably find something." He said.

"Well, what did she say?" Arle asked.

"She said "Big bro, I'm hungry. Can we get something to eat now?"."

"Woah…" We were all amazed.

"Chu, that's really amazing!" Ami said.

"Arigatōgozaimashita."

"Uh, what?"

"She said thank you." Sig translated.

"Aw, you're welcome, Chu! And yeah, we should find something to eat. Let's go walk around some more, everybody!"

* * *

As we continued walking around the festival, this really strong smell became noticeable to our noses.

"Hey, guys, you smell that?" Raffina asked.

"Yeah, I do." Lidelle said.

"It smells so good. What is it?" Ami asked.

"It smells like…stir fry." Ringo said.

"Stir fry? Geez, it's been forever since I've last had that!" Rulue said.

"What's stir fry?" Arle asked.

"It's a dish made when you fry a bunch of small ingredients like meat or vegetables with a little oil while stirring it in this thing called a wok. We used to eat it all the time, right guys?"

"Oh yeah! We did use to eat it constantly!" Melody said.

"So much, that we ended up buying a mini grill and a wok." Lily said.

"We even kept them in the clubroom and used them whenever we could." Yumi added.

"Wow, Mom. I didn't know you liked stir fry that much." Ami said.

"Same here, Lily." Raffina said.

"Yeah, we didn't think you ate something so casual." Amira added.

"And just what do you mean by _**that**_ , Miss Amira?" Lily asked while sounded insulted.

"Tch! U-Uh… **H-Hey, look! That's the stir fry stand! Let's go get some!** " Amira said nervously as she sped off.

" _ ***sigh***_ Honestly, that girl."

"I feel for you, Lily. I really do." Raffina said.

" _Big Sis Amira is pretty funny._ " Raina said with a giggle.

We caught up with Amira to the stir fry stand and the line wasn't really that long, only a few people ahead of us. We were able to get a good view of the stand and we were shocked to see who was cooking the food.

"Oh, I am **SO** taking a picture of this." I said. As we got closer to the front, I got my phone ready to take a picture. Until finally…

"Alright, who's ne-

 ***CLICK***

" **G** **AH!** **What the…** "

" **HA!** Gotcha, Klug! This picture's gold!" I cheered.

" _ **Nice**_ , Ally! Send it to me when you get a chance!" Raffina said.

"Sure, Raffina."

" **Hey! Delete that!** " Klug shouted as he tried to grab my phone.

"Delete it? Are you crazy? The whole town needs to see this!"

" _ **Ally!**_ "

"Aw, come on, Klug. You look pretty cool in that yukata." Ami said.

"Thanks, Amitie. But I never wanted to wear this or cook all this stir fry. This was all Peruvis' job, but she ran off practicing for this "singing competition" that I have no idea what she's talking about."

"Wait, Peruvis? Klug, how do you know who Peruvis is?" Raffina asked.

"Huh? You mean she didn't tell you?"

"Tell me? Tell me what?"

"She's my sister."

"Y…Your **SISTER?!** " Raffina and Ami yelled.

"Well, she's my adoptive sister. But I guess it still counts."

" **She's adopted?!** " Raffina yelled again.

"Wait, how do you two know her?"

"Klug, your sister has been a pain in my side ever since we were 12-years-old." Raffina said.

"Huh. Really? So you're this "pink-haired nympho" she keeps talking about?"

" **P-PINK-HAIRED NYMPHO?!** "

"Her words, not mine."

"What's a nympho?"

" _What's a nympho?_ " Harpy and Raina asked.

"It's basically…"

"Ally. No." Ami said to me with a stern look on her face.

 _Stop spreading your pureness around, Ami._

" **WHERE THE HELL IS SHE?! I'M GONNA POUND HER TIL' SHE DIES A SECOND TIME!** "

"As I said, she ran off somewhere. I don't know where she is."

" **THEN I'LL FIND HER MY DAMN SELF!** " Raffina then stormed off with a fit of rage fueling her body as she clenched both her hands into fists.

"Oh, jeez. This doesn't look good." Lily said. "I'll catch up with you guys later. Right now, I have to stop Miss Raffina from committing mass murder. Come on, Miss Amira. You stay with the others, Miss Raina."

" _Okay!_ "

Lily then ran towards the same direction Raffina did.

"Hey, Mel. You wanna see this? It could get nasty." Amira asked.

"Uh…I'll pass." Melody said.

"Suit yourself. Hey, Lily! Wait up!" Amira then ran after Lily in the same direction.

…

…

"So…what did she mean by Peruvis being a pain in her side?" Klug asked Ami.

"It's a long and stupid story." Ami said.

"I'll take your word for it, then. You guys still want some stir fry?"

"Sure! What do you have?"

"I've got regular beef, Chicken Teriyaki, Yasai Itame, and Yakisoba."

"Ooo. I'll take regular beef. Not sure what Raffina would want. Hope she gets back soon."

"Great. Anyone else?"

"I'll take regular beef, too." Arle said.

"I'll try this Chicken Teriyaki thing." Schezo said.

"Shigu. I want Yakisoba." Chu said.

"Okay, Chu. Two Yakisoba." Sig said.

"Make that three for Yakisoba." Melody added.

"I'll take regular beef, but put extra beef on mine. I've been craving a lot of beef lately since ditching Mino." Rulue said.

"I'll take a Yasai Itame." Lidelle said.

"Me too." Ringo said.

"Me three." Yumi added.

"I'll take two Chicken Teriyaki." I said.

"Two? Are you that hungry?" Lidelle asked me.

"No. One of them's for Harpy."

"For Harpy?"

"Did you really think she would be able to pick one out from the four given?"

…

…

"Good point." Lidelle said after thinking about it.

"Thanks, Ally!" Harpy said to me.

"You're welcome, Harpy."

"Okay, so I've got 3 regular beef, one with extra beef, 3 Chicken Teriyaki, 3 Yasai Itame, and 3 Yakisoba." Klug read the order list. "Anything else?"

"Wait a sec!"

We heard Raffina's voice and we looked over to see her, Amira, and Lily heading for us.

"Add four more Chicken Teriyaki to that." She said.

"Okay. So now it's 3 regular beef, one with extra beef, 7 Chicken Teriyaki, 3 Yasai Itame, and 3 Yakisoba. Anything else?"

"I'll take a Yakisoba, as well."

"Okay. So that's everything I just said, plus one more Yakisoba. Is that it?"

"It should be." Ami said.

"Alright. Everything should be done in about 20 minutes. Just wait over there until then."

"Thanks, Klug!" Me, Ami, Raffina, and Lidelle said.

But as we said thanks, we realized something.

"…Wait a sec. Who ordered the 4th Yakisoba?" Raffina asked.

"I did."

We knew that voice. We haven't heard it in a long time, but we knew that voice. We turned around to see the owner of said voice, and we nearly broke into tears. Nearly.

" **Ms. Accord!** " The five of us shouted with glee.

"Hello there, kiddies. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Geez, Harm! I thought you'd never get here!" Melody said.

"Well, I would've been here earlier if you've given me directions, Melody. When you hung up on me, I had to look for you guys on my own. I was lucky enough to hear Raffina's yelling all the way from the other side of the festival."

"That a girl, Raffina. Using your voice to lure Harmony to us. Good job!" Melody gave her a thumbs up.

" **Sh-Shut up, Melody!** " Raffina yelled at her while feeling embarrassed.

"It's good to see you again, Harmony-senpai." Yumi said.

"The same to you, Yumi. I see you haven't changed much since we last met." Ms. Accord said.

"Well, you know me. Nothing really changes about me."

" _Except for her sleep patters…_ " Melody and Lily whispered to themselves.

"I heard that, you two."

"So our old teacher, my mom, Raffina's maid, and your mom all went to school together." Ami said. "You really didn't know, Lidelle?"

"Not until earlier today." Lidelle answered.

"I see."

"Hey there, Harmony! Long time no see!" Rulue said.

"Rulue…you haven't aged a bit."

" _ **Ohhohoho!**_ Thank you, Harmony. You're so kind."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"H-Huh? What do you mean?"

"Rulue. You look **EXACTLY** how you did when we graduated all those years ago."

"H-Huh?! Wh-What are you talking about, Harmony?!"

"Y'know…now that I take a good at you Rulue, you really do look like your 18-year-old self." Melody said.

"Yes, I see it too now." Lily added.

"You haven't aged at all, Rulue-senpai." Yumi claimed.

"Wh-What?! C-Come on! Y-You girls are just seeing things!" Rulue was stuttering at this point.

" _Rulue…_ " Ms. Accord looked at her with an intimidating stare.

…

…

…

" **OKAY FINE!** " She finally cracked. " **When I went to that other world, I used a Never-Aging Potion! There! Happy now?!** "

" **Never aging?!** " Melody shouted.

" **And you didn't bring some back?!** " Lily shouted with her.

" **Rulue-senpai!** " Yumi shouted as well.

" **I'm sorry, okay?!** " Rulue yelled back. " **I didn't think I would be back in this world!** "

"Now now, girls." Ms. Accord said. "Rulue may look like an 18-year-old forever, but in reality, she's still the same age as us."

"Yeah, true." Melody agreed.

"And besides, Rulue's not the only one who used it." Ms. Accord then began looking at Schezo.

"Wh-What?" He asked.

"Don't "what" me. You used one too, didn't you?"

…

…

"S-So what if I did?" Now Schezo was looking nervous.

"Seriously?" Rulue asked.

"Schezo…how old are you?" Arle asked. "And I mean your **REAL** age!"

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ I…I'm 180, okay?"

" **YOU'RE 180-YEARS-OLD?!** " We all shouted in total shock.

"It's not that big of a deal."

" **Not a big deal?! Schezo, you're nearly 11 TIMES older than me!** " Arle yelled.

"I'm sorry, okay?! I have too much stuff to do to worry about dying!"

"Stuff like what?!"

"Just…stuff."

" _Uh-huh._ " I can tell from her face that Arle didn't believe him.

"180, huh?" Lidelle asked. "You certainly don't look like it. Judging by your body."

"My body is 14-years-old. That is the age that I took the Never-Aging Potion."

"Woah. 14…a year younger than me."

"And the same age as me! So tubular!" Harpy cheered.

" _What the hell does tubular mean?_ " Ringo whispered to Lidelle and me.

" _We have no idea._ " We both answered with a sweatdrop.

"Food's done!" Klug said as he brought the food out.

"Woah, Klug. It all looks delicious." Ami said as we all stared at the food. She wasn't wrong, either. The food looked mouthwatering. The aroma of the meat, noodles, and veggies plugged up my nose to the point where I couldn't smell anything else. I took a bite of my dish and for a moment, I died a little.

" **HOLY CRAP!** Klug! This is delicious!" I shouted.

"No kidding! This stuff's amazing!" Ami agreed.

"When did you learn how to cook like this?" Lidelle asked.

"All of these are my dad's recipes." Klug said. "He travels a lot, so I'm the one cooking for me and my mom. Well, now it's for me, my mom, and Peruvis. Since she came back."

"I see."

"By the way, Raffina. Did you ever find her?"

"No. I was going to, but then Lily came and stop me." Raffina answered.

"Miss Raffina…if I would've let you go, you would be doing a year in prison." Lily said. "And I'm pretty sure Miss Amitie wouldn't like that."

"She's right, y'know." Ami claimed.

Raffina turned red from embarrassment.

"S-Sorry, Ami." She said.

Ami then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"It's okay, Raffi. I forgive you."

As we continued to eat our stir fry, we heard a voice coming from where Klug was.

"Hey, Klug. I'm back."

This voice belonged to a girl with purple hair and… a black horn coming from her head?

" **Hey, Peruvis! Remember me?! The pink-haired nympho?!** " Raffina shouted while trying to hold in her anger.

" ***GULP*** K-Klug! Y-You told her I said that?!" The girl said nervously.

"Welp. You're screwed." Sig said.

" **Shut up, Sig!** "

 _Wait. Sig knows her, too?_

"Well, how was I suppose to know it was Raffina you were talking about?" Klug asked. "And where were you anyway? I had to make all this food by myself."

"I already told you! I was practicing for the singing competition!"

"And I already told you, there is no singing competition!"

"Of course _**you're**_ the one saying that. You're just jealous of my wonderful singing voice. _ ***giggle***_ "

Klug did an annoyed sigh at her adoptive sister. "Does anyone have the updated flyer?"

"Updated flyer?" We all asked.

"I have one." Ms. Accord said as she handed it to Klug.

"Thanks, Ms. Accord." Klug said. "See, Peruvis? There was a typo with the flyers. It's not a singing competition, it's a **SLINGING** competition."

" **Sl-Slinging?! Wh-What are you slinging?!** " Peruvis asked.

"These rainbow jellies Akuma found lying around. They have these big eyes and they're honestly kinda creepy."

" _Rainbow jellies? Could it be…_ " I heard Arle whispering next to me. But when I tried to get her attention, she was completely deep within her own thoughts. So, I gave up for now.

 _Does she know what they are?_

" _Ugh!_ Damnit!" Peruvis yelled. "Okay, minor setback. But I can still win it and that special prize!"

"No, you can't."

"And just why the hell not?!"

"Because it happened yesterday."

" **WHAT?!** "

" _This is so fun to watch._ " Raffina said.

" _Raffi…_ " Ami said.

" _I'm just saying._ "

"So, who ended up winning, Klug?" Ami asked Klug.

"It was a team battle. But I'm not sure who they were. It was a girl with blonde hair carrying a broom and a green-haired girl who I think was cosplaying as a dragon."

"Aw, geez…" Arle said.

"You know who they are, Arle?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure they came from my world. They're kind of a troublesome pair. One makes these weird potions and the other eats whatever she could get her hands on."

"W-Woah. They sound…interesting." Lidelle said.

"Yeah, to say the least."

"S-So, T-The Green Puyo Hat…is **GONE?!** " Peruvis asked.

"I'm not sure what this "Green Puyo Hat" is, but they didn't win that, either." Klug said.

"Huh?" Ami, Raffina, and Peruvis said.

"They won one of Lemres' five-pound gummy bears, which the dragon girl ate in one sitting."

" _ ***sigh***_ Typical Draco…" I heard Arle, Schezo, and Rulue say.

" **GAH!** **I was so close! That universal-changing wish was almost mine!** " Peruvis shouted.

"No you weren't." Suddenly, a white ghost thing popped out of Peruvis' back. "You still had to get the other 3 hats somehow. You were nowhere near close."

" **Don't make this worse for me!** "

"Woah! What's with the ghost coming from your back?!" I asked.

"The name's Phoenix." The ghost said. "I live inside Peruvis and give her the energy to live."

"Like a tortured soul?" Melody asked.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Mom, how do you know what a tortured soul is?" Ami asked.

"Um…w-well…"

"L-Let's just say that we know one ourselves." Ms. Accord jumped in.

"Okay then?" Ami looked confused. But then decided to leave it alone for now.

"Anyway. Now that you're here, I'm going on break. You start cooking more stir fry." Klug said as he shoved the utensils in his hands towards Peruvis.

" _ **What?! But I want to enjoy the festival!**_ " Peruvis whined.

"You're forgetting that this was **YOUR** job in the first place."

…

…

"Exactly."

" **S-Sig! Say something!** "

We looked over at Sig and saw that he was sleeping with his eyes open…again.

 _Okay, now it's starting to get creepy._

" **Gah! Damn your narcolepsy!** "

"Mind if I tag along?" Klug asked as he exited out the back of the booth and went around it to end up on the same side as us.

"Sure. The more the merrier." Ami said.

"See you later, Peruvis. Or should I say, purple-haired nympho! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ " Raffina teased as we walked away from the booth.

" **GRRR! DAMN YOU, RAFFINA!** " Was the only thing we heard Peruvis say before losing sight of her.

* * *

The rest of the festival went on without any problems. We played some games, ate more food, and above all, had a good time. When it was all over, everyone had gone home expect Ami, Raffina, Lidelle, Arle, Sig, Chu, Harpy and myself. We were sitting on a bench near the outskirts of the festival waiting for the fireworks to begin. While waiting, something from earlier came to mind.

"Hey, Harpy. What made you want to ask what sex was?" I asked.

" **A-ALLY!** " The other four girls yelled.

"Well, I was on my way home yesterday when I overheard two people talking about it. I didn't know what they meant, so I was hoping you knew." Harpy answered.

"Well, I do. But I'm pretty sure these three won't let me tell you."

"No, we won't." Ami said.

"Who the hell talks about that **IN PUBLIC?!** " Raffina asked.

"People are just weird." Lidelle said.

"And perverted." Arle added.

"Yep, sorry Harpy. You're just gonna have to wait until you're older." I said.

" _Aw_ , phooey." Harpy said in disappointment.

"Shigu. What are they talking about?" Chu asked her brother.

"Uh…Chu…" Sig looked uncomfortable.

"Chu, you're better off not knowing just as much as Harpy." Raffina said.

"Just wait until you're older, Chu." Ami added with a smile.

" _Ladies and gentlemen,_ _ **KUMA!**_ _The fireworks are about to begin,_ _ **KUMA!**_ _Please find a good spot and enjoy the show,_ _ **MA! KUMA! KUMAAAA!**_ "

"Is Akuma always this loud?" Arle asked.

"Yeah, but you get used to it." Raffina said.

"I see."

Just as that was said, the fireworks began firing up to the sky and popping in the sky.

" _Woah…_ " We all said.

It was a sight to behold. The different colors blasting up into the cloud-filled sky, some with unique shapes and patterns. It was an enjoyable time. I couldn't keep my eyes off them...until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, Ally."

"Yeah, Lidelle?"

"You know, I was going to confess to you around this time. It would've been more romantic. But I couldn't hold it in much longer."

I smiled and kissed Lidelle on the lips.

"Silly. It wouldn't matter what time you did it. I still would've said yes." I said.

" _ ***giggle***_ I love you, Ally."

"I love you too, Lidelle."

" _Aw_ , that's so sweet." Ami said.

"Reminds me of the time we confessed to each other." Raffina added.

Then the two begin kissing each other on the lips **A LOT** longer than we did.

"I love you, Ami."

"I love you too, Raffi."

"That 30-second kiss was unnecessary." Lidelle said.

" _Way to kill the mood, Lidelle._ " The duo sounded insulted.

"Shigu. When are you and Aruru going to do that?" Chu asked.

"Wh-What are you talking about, Chu?" Sig started blushing.

"Yeah, Arle. When are you going to kiss Sig?" Harpy asked.

" **H-Harpy!** " Arle was now blushing as well.

"See, guys? Even Chu and Harpy notice it." Ami said.

"Notice what?" Both Arle and Sig asked.

Ami, Raffina, Lidelle, and I looked at each other and laugh a little before turning back to Arle and Sig.

"You'll see." Was all we said.

The two were left with confused looks on their faces as we continued to watch the fireworks blast off into the starry night sky. Ending my first Summer Festival in Primp Town.

 _And the first one with the person I love._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **So, right after I uploaded the last chapter, I started feeling sick. So even if I wanted to, I couldn't continue with what I planned for this story by Friday. So, I'll have two ready on Saturday. Then the story will be on a break for the rest of the month. I've got other stories to catch up on.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	40. Panel de Puyo

**Chapter 40 – Panel de Puyo**

 **Amitie's POV**

It's been a week since the Summer Festival and Raffina, Lidelle, Ally, Arle, Lidelle's cousin Ringo, and I were at my house hanging out. While Mom, Amira, and Lily were out in the backyard getting rid of the massive patches of grass that's been around for 10 years.

We all decided to have a barbeque today and my house was the only place with a big enough backyard for the grill. Once all the grass was removed, that is.

Lidelle, Ally, Ringo, and I were playing with the Super Famicom while Raffina and Arle watched.

" **GAH! ARE YOU FREAKIN KIDDING ME?! THIS GAME SERIOUSLY CHEATS!** " Ally started yelling after the last round we were playing ended.

"You only say that because you keep getting last." I said.

"What?! Come on, Ami! This game totally screws with newcomers! Right, guys?!"

"I'm doing fine." Lidelle answered.

"Yeah, me too." Ringo added.

" **So, I'm the only one?!** "

"Yep. Sorry, Ally." I replied sarcastically.

" _ ***whine* SO NOT FAIR!**_ "

"Hey, quit complaining and just get better at the game!"

"Boo!" Ally then made a thumbs down gesture to show her disappointment even more.

"Hey, Raffina. What's this game called again?" I heard Arle ask Raffina.

"Apparently, it's called Chu Chu Rocket." Raffina said.

"Chu Chu Rocket? What kind of name is that?"

"I know. I don't get it, either. The whole thing, to be honest."

"Oh geez, Raffi. You seriously are blind when it comes to video games." I said to her.

"You're so girly, it's even starting to show." Lidelle added.

" **Q-QUIT CALLING ME GIRLY!** " Raffina shouted.

"But you are." Ally claimed. "You've never played a video game or read any manga. And you _**really**_ overdo it with the make-up."

"Are you trying to imply something, Ally?"

"I don't know, Raffina. What do you think I'm trying to imply?"

" _Well, my guess is…_ "

"O-Okay, that's enough, girls! It probably wasn't important, anyway! _Hehhehhehheh._ " I jumped in while holding Raffina back by her arm.

"Hmph. Whatever." Raffina said. "And just so you all know, I did play a video game before. I just don't play it anymore."

"Really, you did? That's great, Raffi!"

"What was the name of it?" Ringo asked.

"Well, it was called…"

" **OW! SON OF A-**

We suddenly heard Mom's voice from the backyard. Next thing we knew, she along with Amira and Lily came into the house. With the latter two carrying her towards the kitchen and Amira wetting one of the rags we got.

"Mom! What happened?!" I asked.

"Not to worry, Amy. I'm fine." Mom said. "It's just this weird orange creature just clubbed me on the head."

"Orange creature? Clubbed? _Aw, crap._ " Raffina then gained a mixed of a paled looked and a pissed off one. "Lidelle. You don't think that's…"

"Yeah, it has to be him." Lidelle answered.

"Who?" Me, Ally, and Arle asked. Ringo didn't say anything. Not sure if she knows what's going on.

Just then, said orange creature ran into the house, still waving its club in the air in a fit of rage.

" **AHHH!** **WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!** " I screamed.

"Hey, Onion Pixy." Lidelle said.

"Onion!" The thing said.

…

…

"What?" Was the only thing us three newbies were able to say. Lidelle then laughed at our reactions.

"Guys, this "orange creature" that Melody was talking about is named Onion Pixy. He's like a warrior of some sort."

"Oh. Okay then?" I still sounded confused.

"Onion! On on, Onion!"

"Okay, we get it. You **are** a warrior." Lidelle said.

"Onion."

"Yeah, a pain in the ass warrior."

" **Onion?!** "

"Yeah, I said it! Don't think I didn't forget what you did to me, you damn onion!"

" **Onion! On-Onion!** "

" _ ***sigh***_ Great. I come here to leave a nuisance and I end up yelling at another. Just my rotten luck."

"Where is Raina anyway?" I asked.

"I don't know. She said she was meeting up with a friend. Though, I didn't bother asking who it was."

"I see…" I said with a sweatdrop.

 _Raffi…you're going to have to start caring about her eventually…_

"So, what exactly happened between you two?" Lidelle asked.

"Onion onion. On on onion on onion onion on on on ***swings club*** onion onion onion. Onion."

"Uh…Onion Pixy…" Lidelle then suddenly gained a sweatdrop. "…Not to be mean, but you kinda deserved it."

"Onion?!"

"Let me guess. Lidelle's the only person in town who can understand him, right?" Arle asked.

"Pretty much." Raffina answered.

"How come you know these weird creature's native language?" Ally asked her girlfriend.

"It's a special talent. I can learn any language in a matter of days." Lidelle said.

" **Days?!** " We were all shocked by that answer.

"It's true." Ringo said. "Lidelle once learned the entire Spanish language by reading a Spanish dictionary in just 3 days."

"Where did you get a Spanish dictionary?" I asked.

"Internet." Lidelle said.

"I see."

"That's my girlfriend for ya! So talented!" Ally gloated. She then hugged Lidelle and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

" _ ***giggle***_ G-Geez, Ally." Lidelle said with a light blush on her cheek.

"Onion! Onion! **ON-ION!** " Onion Pixy looked madder than before.

"Lidelle, what's this thing saying?" I asked.

" **ONION ONION ON!** "

"Well, first he said" **Don't call me a thing, you blonde moron!** "."

" **Hey!** "

 _And I officially hate this thing._

"And second, he said " **You people have a lot of nerve of stealing my Oniko from me!** "."

"Who the hell is Oniko?"

"His girlfriend. He's super protective of her."

 _I can see why she left…_

" **Onion! Onion onion!** "

"Look you…turnip or whatever vegetable you are! I don't know where your Oniko went, but I didn't take her!" I said to the mutant onion.

" **ONION! ON ON ON ONION ON ONION!** "

"He said " **Why should I believe a naïve idiot like you, blondie?!** "." Lidelle translated.

"Naïve idiot?! **Blondie?!** "

 _I seriously hate this damn piece of compost._

" **THAT'S IT!** " I took the jerky creature by its onion-shaped head and carried it to the door. Once I opened it, I kicked the thing as hard as I could and sent it flying.

" **OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNN!** "

" **AND STAY OUT!** " I yelled before slamming the door shut.

I went back to the living room where everyone was at and sat down on the floor. Sighing my anger out of my body.

"S-Sorry you guys had to see that." I said.

"It's okay, Ami." Raffina said while giving me a hug. "You're not the first person to kick Onion Pixy like that."

"What exactly did he do to you?"

…

…

"I-I'll tell you later…" Raffina said with a faint blush on her face.

 _Is it_ _ **that**_ _bad?_

Just then, Mom and the others had walked in the living room. With Mom holding a rag on her forehead.

"You okay, Melody?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. The blood stopped coming out." Mom said. "But the backyard's still a mess, though. Can't believe that's 10 years' worth of grass."

"10 years?" Arle asked.

"Yeah." I said. "Apparently before Mom and I moved here, this house was abandoned for 10 years."

"And no one took care of it, either." Raffina added. "We had to clean this place top to bottom."

"Oddly enough, the bathroom was super clean." Lidelle said.

"I see..." Arle then went silent for a bit. "Hey, Melody. Maybe I can try getting rid of the grass."

"Really, Arle? You sure? I don't have anything for you to cut it with."

"No need. I think I have a way to do it."

"Huh?" We were all confused by what Arle just said.

Arle then went to the backyard and we followed her there. Watching her do whatever she was going to do. Arle took a huge deep breath and I heard her mumble something under her breath.

" _I hope this still works…_ " She said.

Arle then raised her right hand in the air and formed a pointing gesture with it. She brought her hand down rather quickly and pointed at the grass.

" **FIRE!** "

All of a sudden, a burst of fire came out of Arle's finger and it started burning all of the grass in front of her until there was none in sight. Revealing a grey brick floor underneath.

We were all shocked at what we just saw.

"A-Arle… **wh-what did you just do?!** " I struggled with asking that simple question.

"Oh, that. Um…well…back in my world, I was known as one of the greatest sorceresses of all time."

" **Woah! A sorceress?!** " Ally asked.

"Why are you now telling us this?" Lidelle asked.

"Well…to be honest…I forgot to bring it up."

…

…

…

" **YOU FORGOT?!** " Us teen girls yelled in disbelief.

"I-I'm sorry, okay?! I just did! You know…with the whole mirror thing. It kinda just slipped my mind."

"Arle. I think Sig's carefreeness is starting to rub off on you." Raffina said.

" **H-Hey!** "

"Well, look at the bright side, Miss Raffina. At least we can start preparing the barbeque now." Lily claimed.

"Yeah, and we're lucky enough to have this grey brick floor here." Amira added.

"Yeah, that is pretty lucky."

"Never would've thought a ton of grass would grow on such a hard surface." Lidelle said.

"Well anyway, we're going to need a bunch of meat and crap." Mom said. "Ami, can you go to the store for me?"

"Can you please not call it "meat and crap"?" I asked.

"Okay. Then how about meat and sh-"

" **NO!** "

"I was going to say "stuff". Geez, Ami. Learn to trust your mother more."

"Coming from you, that's impossible."

Lily then covered her mouth as an attempt stop herself from laughing. But failed.

" _And just what's so funny, Lily?_ " Mom asked, sounding insulted.

"N-Nothing…M-Melody-senpai." Lily said. But she couldn't keep a straight face and laughed even harder.

" **Lily!** "

" _Good grief…_ " I mumbled to myself.

As Mom continued to whine at Lily, I left the backyard and eventually the house, in general, to go to the store for the barbeque.

* * *

Currently, Primp was in the middle of a massive heatwave, so the heat was unbearable. Luckily, I was comfortable enough with this purple and white tank top, black shorts with a little dark blue/purple-ish on the edges, and these orange and white shoes that I haven't worn in a while, but surprisingly still fit me. I also brought a sports drink with me, just in case I get thirsty.

I had just made it to the plaza when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I checked it to see that Ally had left me a text.

" _Hey, Ami. While you're out there, can you go look for Harpy? She was supposed to be here earlier, but I guess she got lost or something._ "

Needless to say, I was a little upset. Me doing an extra thing in this heat wasn't something I was going to accept so easily.

"Seriously?! Why can't you go look for her yourself?!" I texted back.

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _I would, but I'm busy at the moment._ "

At first, I thought it was… _ **that**_. But then I remembered something and decided to have a little fun with it.

"Busy with what? Snuggling Lidelle?" I texted back.

 _ ***BZZZT***_

And I got the response I was expecting, which made me giggle a bit.

" _ **N-No! Sh-Shut up! Th-That's none of your business!**_ "

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _ **J-Just go find her already!**_ "

 _Wow, Mom's right. Teasing is fun. But that's enough wasting time. I should be heading to the store now._

…

…

 _Okay, one more!_

"Alright, alright. I'll go look for her. You two have fun now. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)"

 _ ***BZZZT***_

" _Screw you._ "

This really made my day.

* * *

I finally got to the store and grabbed one of the tiny baskets that are usually found near the entrance. As I walked down each aisle, I went through everything that we needed for the barbeque.

"Let's see…burgers, hot dogs, various chicken parts…that should be enough meat. Plates, napkins, cups, utensils…that's all the important stuff. I'll just get a few bags of chips and head out."

I got a couple of bags of chips and was about to get in the checkout line when I remembered something.

" **Shoot! I forgot the soda!** "

As I made my way to the soda aisle, I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings. And accidentally bumped into someone, knocking the both of us down.

" _Ouchie_ …I-I'm so sorry! I-I wasn't paying attention!" I pleaded.

" _ **Grr…**_ You've got a lot of nerve to…oh. Amitie, it's only you."

 _Wait, I recognized that voice…_

"Oh. Hey, Peruvis. What are you doing here?"

"Freaking Klug made me come out here in this damn heat just to get more soda! Apparently, I drank his and he won't shut up about it!"

"It had his name on it." Phoenix said. Popping out her back.

"How was I supposed to know that?!"

"You would've if you just looked."

"So, you knew the entire time and didn't bother to tell me?!"

"I can't do **everything** for you, Kid."

" _Why you…_ " Peruvis managed to calm down a bit. Preventing her to rage out in the middle of the store. "Anyway, why are you here?" She then asked me.

"The others and I are having a barbeque at my house. So I came to get food and stuff."

"And by "others", you mean…"

"Ally, Lidelle, her cousin Ringo, Arle, my mom, Amira, Lily, Harpy once I find her…"

"And Raffina, right?"

I froze right when she said that. I figured that I mentioned Raffina, Peruvis would go into another one of her fits. So I purposely left her out.

"Come on, out with it!"

But I guess she figured it out.

"Yeah. And Raffina." I said softly.

"Figured as much." Peruvis said in an annoyed tone.

"Do you really hate her that much?"

"Of course I do! She took the championship right from under me!"

"But that was four years ago! I think it's time both you and Raffina stopped this ridiculous feud of yours."

"Believe me, I would **LOVE** that!" Phoenix said.

" **PH-PHOENIX!** "

"Come on, Kid. This feud really is a stupid chat between two hotheads with anger issues."

"Anger issues?!"

"My point is…don't you want to just forget about it already?"

Peruvis went silent for a bit and turned her head away from me. Hiding away her red cheeks in the process.

"Y-Yeah. I-I do think of that…a little." She said shyly. I've only known Peruvis for a couple of days, but how she was acting really took me by surprise.

"Well, then come with me back to my house and you guys can end this fight once and for all."

"I don't know, Amitie…"

"You can stay for the barbeque."

"I'm in!"

" **Phoenix, I swear to God…** " Peruvis yelled at him.

" **Hey! I want free food! So get a grip and let's go!** "

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ Fine. Just let me give this soda to Klug."

"Alright. Where do you live?" I asked.

"You kidding? I'm not making two trips for this! Especially in this heat!"

"Then how…"

" **PK Teleport!** "

Just then, Peruvis vanished right before my eyes. Then after a few seconds, came back standing the same spot she just disappeared from.

" **WH-WHAT THE?! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST DO?!** " I asked frantically.

"I teleported. Duh."

" **Well, yeah I know that! It's just how did you do that?!** "

"It's one of Phoenix's powers. A useful one, too."

"I-I see…"

 _Wowie. Being a half tortured soul must be great…_

"Alright, before we go I have to look for Harpy."

"Harpy?"

"The airheaded angel girl."

"Oh yeah, I remember her."

Peruvis then noticed something behind me.

"Isn't that her over there?"

I turned around to see Harpy floating in front of the freezer section with one of the doors opened. It looked like she was cooling herself off. But when we got closer to her, we noticed that she had fallen asleep in front of the freezer.

 _Oh my God, this girl…_

"Harpy…Harpy, wake up!" I yelled while shaking her body.

"H-Huh? Oh. Hiya, Amitie! Hiya, scary horned girl!" Harpy said.

" **It's Peruvis!** " Peruvis shouted while sounding insulted.

"Oh, really? Sorry 'bout that."

"Harpy, what are you doing?" I asked.

" _It's soooo hot outside, Amitie! I was about to past out! But then Chu said we can cool off by standing in front of these things, and now I feel all cool inside!_ "

"Huh? Chu told you to do this?" Peruvis asked.

"Yep! And now I feel super-duper cool!"

"Where is she, anyway?"

"Right here."

" **GAH!** " We jumped up a little and turned to see Chu standing behind us.

" **Ch-Chu! D-Don't sneak up on me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!** " I complained.

"Sorry, Amytee." Chu said.

" _ ***snicker***_ Amytee…"

"Shut it, Peruvis." I said to her. "Anyway, Harpy. Ally told me to come look for you. We're having a barbeque at my house." I said.

"A what?" Harpy looked confused.

"It's food."

" **YAY! FOOD!** "

"You can come too if you want, Chu." I then said to her.

"Really? Can Shigu come too?"

"Sure. Why not?"

"Yay!" Chu cheered (I think). Then she ran to the side to call her brother on her phone.

"She can't even remember her own brother's name?" I asked Peruvis.

"She does know it. "Shigu" is just a nickname she calls him. Been like that since she was a baby."

"I see. You really know about those two, huh?"

"Sig and I have been through a lot together. He's truly my first best friend. Way before Raffina."

"Wow…"

Chu then came back towards us in excitement…I think.

"Shigu's coming! Shigu's coming!" She cheered.

"Okay, Chu. Calm down." I replied. "Just both of you follow me and we'll be at my house in a few minutes."

" **YAY!** " Both Harpy and Chu cheered.

"Finally!" I heard Peruvis say.

"Well, aren't you eager?" I said to her.

"Sh-Shut up!"

* * *

Once I paid for the stuff I got, Peruvis, Harpy, Chu, and I headed over to my house to meet up with everyone. We were near inches to the front door when Peruvis started getting second thoughts. But as she was about to turn back, Phoenix managed to control her body and forced her inside.

I didn't bother asking how he did that. I've seen enough supernatural stuff for one day.

"Hey, guys! _Look what I got..._ "

" **RECTANGLES!** " Ally shouted.

"Really, Ally?" I said, trying not to laugh.

"Hey, you're the one who said it, Ami. I had to make that reference."

" _ ***giggle***_ I'm glad you did." Lidelle said before giving Ally a kiss on the cheek.

"Anyway, I found Harpy for ya."

"Ally!"

"Harpy!"

The two girls hugged each other while being a little bit off the ground, but they eventually went too high and Lidelle had to pull them down.

"Where was she?" Arle asked.

"She fell asleep in front of the freezers at the store." I said.

"Why doesn't that surprise me…" Arle said with a sweatdrop.

"Aruru!"

"Huh? Chu, what are you doing here?"

"She was with Harpy when we found her. I decided to invite her too." I explained.

"I see."

"Aruru. Shigu's coming too."

" **Wh-What?! S-Sig's coming?! I-I'm going to take a quick shower!** " Arle shouted with a blushed face as she ran to the bathroom.

 _Seriously. When is she going to notice?_

"Hey, Ami!"

Raffina came to greet me, but then saw Peruvis standing next to me. She got pissed faster than usual.

" **Why the hell is Peruvis here?!** " She asked.

" **Hey, I want barbeque too!** " Peruvis yelled. " **You can't keep all the meat to yourself, you rabid animal!** "

" **WHAT! DID! YOU! SAY?!** "

" **GUYS, ENOUGH OF THIS ****!** " I yelled. " **I'M SO ******* SICK AND TIRED OF THE BOTH OF YOU FIGHTING ALL THE DAMN TIME!** "

…

…

…

"W-Wow, Ami. Th-That's got to be the first time I heard you swear." Ally said.

"Ami…" Raffina said, just as shocked.

"Look, Raffi. I'm sorry for swearing at you, but you and Peruvis really need to end this stupid rivalry!"

"But she's the one who keeps bringing it up!"

"That's because I should've won that tournament!" Peruvis yelled.

" **Guys! Enough is enough! Settle this already!** "

Both girls went silent for a bit. They really weren't used to me yelling.

"F-Fine." Peruvis spoke. "But there's only **ONE** way to settle this. That is…if she knows what I mean."

"Oh? You're challenging me _**again**_?" Raffina teased.

"Damn right, I'm challenging you again! And when I beat you…when I finally beat you… **THE TITLE OF PANEL DE PON CHAMPION WILL BE MINE!** "

" **Ha! As if! You'll just lose like last time!** "

…

…

"Hey…Raffina…Peruvis…" I said.

"Y-Yeah…Amitie?" I bet they knew that I was pissed as hell. Because they turned slowly while responding to me.

"So you're telling me…that this feud…this four-year feud…"

…

"… **IS OVER GAME OF PANEL DE PON?!** "

"Gah! Raffina! Your girlfriend is scary when she's angry!"

"Yeah, I agree!"

"Wait. Panel de Pon?" Lidelle asked.

"You mean that girly puzzle game with the fairies?" Ringo asked.

" **THAT'S** what started this feud?" Ally asked.

" **IT'S NOT GIRLY!** " Both Raffina and Peruvis shouted.

I managed to calm down a bit before talking again.

"Guys…how. Just how?" I asked with a facepalm.

"Okay yes, it was a Panel de Pon tournament. But it was just for fun! It had nothing to do with our martial arts class!" Raffina explained.

"We were the best Panel de Pon players in the whole class. Every day after practice, we would play multiple rounds together and keep track of the number of wins and losses each of us got. And when the tournament started, it was us two in the finals." Peruvis added.

"So, how did one game ruin a friendship like that?" Ringo asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if this one remembers…but there was a glitch in that copy of the game that caused me to lose!"

"For the last time, **there was no glitch!** "

" **You only say that because you're the one who caused it!** "

" **No, I didn't!** "

"Hey, what's with all the yelling?" Amira had came in the house after hearing Raffina and Peruvis bickering all the way from the backyard.

"We're trying to figure out why a game of Panel de Pon ruined Raffina and Peruvis' friendship four years ago." I said.

That's when Amira froze up.

"P-Panel de Pon?! H-Haven't heard of that game in a while. Y-You still play that, little sis?"

"I haven't played it since 4 years ago." Raffina said. "Why are you stuttering?"

"Wh-What? M-Me? St-Stuttering? Pl-Please! W-Who do you think I am, Lidelle?!"

" **Hey!** " Lidelle shouted while sounding insulted.

"Amira…you know something, do you?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

" _Amira…_ "

…

…

" **Okay, fine! I admit! It was my fault!** "

"Huh? What do you mean?" Peruvis asked.

"Four years ago, during the finals…I really had to use the bathroom and I wasn't paying attention and…and I accidentally tripped over one of the chords."

"You…did… **WHAT?!** " Both Raffina and Peruvis shouted.

" **I'm sorry! It was an accident! I swear!** "

" **Your** " **accident** " **made my screen all black and white! I couldn't see any of the colors!** " Peruvis yelled.

"Wait, it only affected you?!" Raffina asked.

" **Yeah, it did! I tried pointing it out, but everyone kept saying that I was a sore loser and made it up! Not even you believed me, and you were my best friend!** " Peruvis had tears rolling down her eyes. Remember that moment must've really broken her.

Raffina then did something I thought would never happen. She hugged Peruvis real tight and allowed her to cry all over her shoulder.

"Peruvis. **I'm sorry! I'm sorry for not believing you! For treating you badly all these years! If only I wasn't so stubborn back then!** " Raffina started crying after saying all that.

" **I'm sorry too, Raffina! I was just as big of a jerk as you! And I secretly regretted it!** "

" **Me too!** "

The two girls continued to cry on each other's shoulders as the rest of us watched. It was then that Arle came out of the bathroom from her shower.

"Hey, Amitie. Why are Raffina and Peruvis crying?" She asked me.

"They just ended their 4-year feud." I said.

"W-Woah! 4 years?! That's a long time to be fighting!"

"Yep! And it's finally over!"

"What were they fight about in the first place?"

"Over this game called Panel de Pon."

"Panel de Pon? Oh yeah, I remember that game."

"Wait, really? Of all things, you had Panel de Pon in your world?"

"Yeah, but I never played it. It was too girly for me."

" **IT'S! NOT! GIRLY!** " Raffina and Peruvis shouted.

"Yes. Yes, it is." Arle, Lidelle, Ally, Ringo, and I retorted.

"Hey, Chu. What's going on?" Harpy asked her as the two of them were messing around with the Super Famicom.

"I don't really know either, Harpy." Chu answered.

"Well, now that everyone's happy again, how about we go eat? I'm starving!" Amira said.

Raffina and Peruvis looked at Amira with somewhat threating looks on their faces.

" _Hey, Amira._ " Raffina said.

"Wh-What?" Amira sounded terrified.

" _Just so you know…_ "

"… _We're gonna kick your ass in the near future._ " Peruvis added.

" **SO BE PREPARED!** " They both yelled.

"L-

Li-

 **LILY!** "

Amira ran out of the house towards the backyard where Mom and Lily were.

"I'm probably gonna get it from Lily later on, but it was _so_ worth it!"

"And I'm probably gonna get another lesson from Klug about controlling my anger, but for once I'll be happy about."

"Geez, you two…" I said with a facepalm.

 ***KNOCK**KNOCK**KNOCK***

"I'll get it!" Arle yelled as she ran to the door and opened it. "Hey, Sig."

"Hey, Arle. Is Chu here?" Sig asked.

"Shigu!" Chu cheered when she heard her brother's voice. She ran to the door and hugged Sig really tight with both arms.

"Hey, Chu. Having fun?"

"Shigu. Waffine and Peridi were fighting but then they stopped."

"It's Raffina."

"Why do you guys even bother? She's never going to remember it." Arle asked.

"We wouldn't mind if she wasn't so far off." I said.

"Yeah. The fact that she calls me Rita still bugs me." Lidelle added.

"Sorry, guys. That's just how she is." Sig said.

All of us who had a ridiculous name given by Chu just sighed in defeat.

"What were you two fighting about, anyway?"

"Well…" Peruvis said. "…you remember that game Panel de Pon, right?"

"You still play Panel de Pon? I thought you grew out of that girly game."

" **It's not girly, you ass!** "

"Hey, guys." Harpy said as she flew over to us. "I found this _**really**_ weird game on your toy box thingy."

"Really? What's it called?" I asked.

"Uh…I think it's called…Panel de Pon…?"

" **What?! Are you serious?!** " Raffina and Peruvis yelled in excitement.

"Oh, hey. It says here that it was downloaded a few seconds ago." Ally said while looking at the screen.

…

…

" **OUT OF THE WAY!** " The duo shouted as they rushed over to the TV to play their favorite game (apparently).

" _Aw! But I wasn't done!_ " Harpy whined.

"At this point, Harpy…I think you are." I said with a sweatdrop.

* * *

About 45 minutes later, the barbeque was done and we all ate outside in the cool summer sunset. While everyone was scattered around the backyard, Raffina, Peruvis, and I were relaxing at the side of the house.

"I don't remember the last time we ate together like this, Raffina." Peruvis said.

"Yeah, me neither. It's all a blur to me." Raffina said.

"Brings back good memories, huh?"

"Yep. Sure does."

"Well, I'm just glad you two are friends again." I said. "No more stupid fighting over a girly game."

"Ami. I love you and all, but call it girly one more time…"

"Alright, Raffi. Fine."

"You two sure do love each other, huh?" Peruvis asked.

"Yeah, duh." Raffina said. "Ami became my girlfriend for a reason. A reason that I can never regret."

" _ ***giggle***_ Raffi." I said while hugging her.

"I see. Well, then sorry, Raffina. But I'm gonna do this real quick."

"Huh? Do what?"

At that very moment, Peruvis grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me in for a long kiss on each other's lips. When she finally let go, both of us were in shock.

" **P-PERUVIS!** " I shouted.

" **WH-WHAT THE HELL?!** " Raffina shouted afterward.

" **Baaahahahaha!** So damn worth it!"

"I gotta admit, Kid! That was pretty hilarious!" Phoenix said while coming out of her back. The two beings then hi-fived each other while we stood there with really annoyed pouts on our faces.

"What are we going to do with her, Ami?" Raffina asked.

"She's your best friend, Raffi." I said. "She's your best friend."

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **yES! THE LENNY FACE SHOWS ON HERE! I was worried that it wouldn't show stuff like Maguro's stars on here. Anyway. Feeling much better than last time. So much so, that I was able to write this as I promised. Also like I promised, this story will go on a break for the rest of the month. So, see you guys in November. Later.**


	41. How Novel

**Chapter 41 – How Novel**

 **Amitie's POV**

" _I'm pooped._ " I said after a long day. Me and the rest of my Magic School friends have been at magic summer camp. It's really fun but…

" _I'm so tired. My magic's been drained from all the hard work, Raffi._ "

"Yes, Ami. You've told me several times already. Stop complaining." I could tell that Raffi was a little annoyed at me.

She has been nice enough to carry me back to our bungalow. The one she had bribed the camp to let have one. Unlike the cabins our friends got.

It was a luxurious one too. One where we could cuddle and sweet talk. And no one's there to look at Raffi funny for being in love with me.

"There, we're back." Raffi let me back on my feet. "You can stand to build up your stamina if you don't wanna be so tired, Deary." She wasn't teasing me.

"I'm working on it...kinda." I said with an unsure look on my face. "I'm absolutely covered in sweat… _but I'm too tired to go into the hot tub._ "

"Quit your whining, Ami. Don't make me carry you one more time…"

" _Please…?_ "

Raffi's lips wrinkled. "F-Fine. But I'm not undressing you."

"I think I can manage that." I said jokingly. Raffina then went to heat the hot tub up.

We were soon in the hot tub together. I stripped down to my underwear (not in the mood to put on my swimsuit) while Raffina's in a bikini. She looks so good in it. Her arm is currently over my shoulder as we sat in the tub relaxing. With me resting my head against her own.

Her skin's so soft, too. Despite all the workouts she does. She's so perfect if you ignore her judgey personality. But I see the diamonds in the rough even if no one else does…

"Raffi…"

"Yes?" She turned to face me.

"Um…well…I love you. You're very pretty. You're so kind to me. You know I think that about you. But…what you see in me?" My voice began to falter. And Raffina noticed.

"I was so happy you asked that I forgot to ask you myself…a-and then kept forgetting. So, what do you see in me? Someone like me is way out of your league, right?"

Raffina didn't answer. Instead, she let out a huge sigh while hugging me tightly around her.

"Ami…you've known me how long? And you still haven't learned that I'm not good at being honest?" Her tone was accusatory, but her hug was so very gentle. A word nobody but me would associate with her.

But I know she cares a lot. My thoughts often drift back to that day. The one where she had risked her life to come after me. She poured her heart out for me when we thought she was going to die.

It's a moment that I can never forget.

" _Raffi…_ " I released a tear.

"S-Sorry…" I could sense the effort it took for her to genuinely apologize. But she broke through anyway. It warms my heart every time. "Let me make it clear for you how much I love you." She said with loving eyes.

She went in for a kiss on my lips. I love it when she do- **OH! Wh-What's she doing with her right hand?!**

…

"Eep!" It feels so wrong…but it's a little exciting. Her hands slowly creeping up to my shoulders, each touch tickled a little.

She reached for the top of my shoulder. Our lips were still locked. She's so good at this and I'm not! It's not fair… **OOH!** Her hand slipped underneath my bra strap and…

* * *

 **Melody's POV**

" **MOM! WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!** "

…

…

"A story."

" **NOT FUNNY, SMARTASS!** "

Yeah…this was a total surprise when I woke up. Ami, Raffina, and a couple of the others had found me writing in my sleep. They woke me up as soon as I seemed done.

 _Well, in their minds…_

It was a full first draft of a fantasy magic high school romance with _**very**_ steamy bits filled with the names of me and my daughter's friends…

This isn't the genre I usually work on, but it isn't that bad of a first draft. Aside from the fact that I wrote this and I know everyone's names in it…

They were all hanging over one of my shoulders looking at my screen. I nervously chuckled at what I unknowingly did and at their expense. Because I just know their faces are just so red at this point.

 _I got this teasing bet in the bag! Your move, Amira!_

"" _And then she gently rubbed my left…Puyo?_ " What?" Raffina read.

" _Steamy._ " Ally and Peruvis said in union.

" **Sh-Shut the hell up, you two!** " Raffina's blush grew from reading that line in front of two well-known perverts. " _Ugh._ Minimize the screen. I can't read this anymore." She got off my shoulder.

" **Click on the X. Click on the X!** " Amitie pleaded while holding onto Raffina.

"What?" I decided to dig this hole deeper. It's hilarious seeing them embarrassed. "This'll be all of you in a few years. Just with less magic and stuff. I guess."

"I have to admit. She does have a point." Klug said.

"Makes sense, too." Sig added.

" **Don't you boys agree with her!** " Ami yelled at them.

"But they're right." Arle said. "Honestly, you two need to ween out of this innocence phase you're in.

" **You're the absolute LAST person I want to hear the word** " **innocence** " **from!** "

"Oh come on, you two." I said. "It's not like you're boinking in it. It's just simple harmless fluff."

"…"

"…"

" _I'm not hearing a no~._ " I then teased.

"Honestly, this would sell pretty good if you add a few boinking scenes in it."

" **Phoenix!** " Ami and Raffina yelled.

"What? I'm just saying."

"A-Anyway…I'm not an "Ice Queen" or however you call it." Raffina spoke. "Don't you **DARE** sell this, Melody."

"Delete it, please." Ami asked nicely.

"Alright, fine. This would harm my reputation anyway. Right-click. Delete. Deleting. Deleted. Happy?" I asked casually.

"Yes." Raffina spoke and Amitie nodded. The latter still thinking about something romantic, no doubt. The former is keeping up an angry face...but I'm sure she entertaining the idea to make out. I see her eyes drifting to Amitie.

"L-Let's go somewhere…less Ally…than here." She finally said.

" _ ***giggle***_ Good idea." Ami agreed.

"Hey, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Ally asked. Obviously insulted.

"I think you know exactly what it means, Ally."

" _ ***whine***_ _Lidelle!_ "

"There, there." Lidelle said while comforting her girlfriend.

Once the two were out of the house, I snickered to myself as much as I can to hide my laughter. But to no avail.

"You didn't really delete it, did you?" Peruvis asked me.

" _ ***chuckle***_ I can't believe they forgot about the recycle bin…" I said as I pulled the story out of it. "All I gotta do is change the names and they'll _**never**_ know the difference."

 _I don't wanna write about my daughter like this. It's too weird._

" **Alright, Melody!** " Ally cheered as she leaned closer to the computer screen.

"I still really can't believe that you wrote an entire first draft of a romance story with erotic bits in your sleep." Klug said.

"I know, right?" I responded with a laugh as it had just sunk in. "I wish I wrote stuff in my sleep more often. This right here is actually publishable on certain markets."

"No doubt Peruvis would read this." Phoenix said.

" **H-Hey!** " Peruvis yelled.

"Oh, shut up. You know it's true." Sig said to her.

"I know it's true! It just didn't need to be brought up like that! Now, move over! I wanna see when they start boinking!"

" _ ***sigh***_ You pervert." Sig said as he joined his childhood friend at the computer with me. And it didn't take long for the others to do the same.

"Now, what should my pseudonym be? Ah, I got it! Rose Field!"

"Isn't that too obvious?" Arle asked me.

"If they didn't notice the recycle bin, then will they really notice this?"

"Good point."

And so, with all of their friends looking with me, I continued writing the erotic romance story that used to have the names of my daughter and her girlfriend.

 _ ***giggle***_ _Sorry girls. I practically made free money here. And I enjoy not worrying about the bills._

 _ **GUEST AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ **I owed TheBlackKid a favor. Was overdue. Supposed to be way longer than this and stand alone. Supposed to be more in line with the games, one-shot retelling of LoPP.**

 **In the end, I stripped it down to its punchline. Made it more fun to write.**

 **Have a nice day,**

 **Mr. Ermin Mann**

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**_ **A short little bonus chapter mostly written by a good friend of mine. With a few changes made to match up with the humor of this story. The idea came up when I was struggling with what to do with this story. And it was going to be used as the end of it all. But I like this outcome WAY better.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	42. Multi-Flavored Cousin

**Chapter 42 – Multi-Flavored Cousin**

 **Raffina's POV**

"… _Let me make it clear for you how much I love you._ " _She said with loving eyes._

 _She went in for a kiss on my lips. I love it when she do-_ _ **OH! Wh-What's she doing with her right hand?!**_

…

" _Eep!_ " _It feels so wrong…but it's a little exciting. Her hands slowly creeping up to my shoulders, each touch tickled a little._

 _She reached for the top of my shoulder. Our lips were still locked. She's so good at this and I'm not! It's not fair…_ _ **OOH!**_ _Her hand slipped underneath my bra strap and…_

" **GAAAAH! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!** "

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Had another one…" I angerly said to myself as I sat on my bed. Disgusted that I had that dream for the 4th night in a row.

What dream is it? Well, thanks to Melody and her pervy story about Ami and I, I've been having recurring dreams about that one hot tub scene.

And each night…it gets steamier.

Like how it ended when I _***gulp***_ sl-slipped my hand through Ami's bra strap…i-in one my dreams, it went as far as me actually…gr-groping her…br-br-breasts.

…

 _O-Or her…Puyo. As Melody wrote it. What the hell is that, anyway?_

A-And even after that, it still gets worse. Passionately kissing Ami on her lips…and then her neck. Slowly inching downward to her small breasts and lightly sucking on them. Hearing her seduced moans as it goes on. Just the thought of it turns me on so damn much. Caressing Ami's wet half-naked body while she moans in my ear in sweet pure pleasure.

And then I slowly drift my free hand downward. Sliding deep under the hot bubbly water as I slip through her wet panties and grab a feel of…of…of…

A-A-Ami's…h-h-her most…sp-special…

V-Va…

P-Pu…

…

…

…

" **GAAAAH! WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?! I'M SUCH A FREAKING PERVERT!** " I slammed my head against my pillow with a huge amount of shame for myself. " _Thinking of doing those types of things at my age. And with Ami, no less…_ "

 _Oh, God. I'm slowly turning into Ally..._

" _ ***creepy giggle***_

…

…

 _Okay, seriously. Who is laughing like that?_

I came out of my embarrassingly perverted thoughts to realize that there was some kind of presence in my room. It felt odd (like it should be). Having someone or something invade your privacy without you knowing. I even felt that someone or something staring at a place where no sane girl would want anyone staring at.

…

N-Not **THAT** place! I-I'm talking about my breasts!

" _Fufufufu…_ they're kinda small. But still bigger than mine. They shall be the perfect sacrifice for my charm spell."

 _Aw crap. I recognize that voice. But I don't see her, though. What is she up to now?_

"Now. To give them just one big sque-

 ***POW***

Without any hesitation, I punched the person in the face. And I heard a girly whine coming from her as she fell backward and fell. She also came back into view thanks to one of her charms, I presume.

" _Ow! Why'd you hit me?!_ "

" **Why were you trying to squeeze my breasts?!** " I yelled back.

" _I needed a good feel so I'll know how big to make mine! This charm was my last hope!_ "

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ This again?"

The person I was talking to was my cousin Feli. She's 15-years-old, a year younger than me, has long purple hair topped off with a red ribbon, and she's highly into making charms. Some for others, but they're mostly for herself.

I pulled Feli off the floor and sat here on the chair next to my desk in my room.

"What are you even doing here anyway, Feli?" I asked.

"I already said. I needed to perfect my charm and…"

"I mean the **REAL** reason."

" _Ugh._ Fine."

Feli then dug into one of her shorts pocket and pulled out a note.

"Here. It's from Mom." She said as she gave it to me, feeling sad like she was about to cry.

"Hey, why are you sad all of a sudden?"

"Just read it…please."

I ignored Feli's weirder than usual behavior and read the note to myself.

* * *

 _Dear Raffina,_

 _It's been a while hasn't it, my dear niece? I'm writing to you now because I'm in need of a_ _ **HUGE**_ _favor._

 _You see…your cousin Feli has been going out of control lately. And by "out of control", I mean her usual gothic lolita self (don't tell her I said that)._

 _Her behavior has gotten her suspended from her school so many times that the high school here refuses to let her enroll. And her charms have nearly destroyed our home…36 times._

 _I love my daughter, I really do. But I just can't take it anymore. Maybe you can tame her. She seems to look up to you more than anyone else. I owe you big for this._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Auntie._

* * *

"F-Feli…is what's all here true?" I asked.

" _ ***sniff***_ _Yeah._ " Feli responded, while trying to hold in her tears. " _I can't believe Mom would just get rid of me like I'm trash. I really am a problem child._ "

"Feli, Auntie doesn't think you're trash. And you're not a problem child. You're just special."

"Raffina…I really don't think being banned from the only high school in your hometown and nearly destroying your home 36 times is anything special."

 _Damn. She has a point._

"And besides, I'm not doing it on purpose. I'm only performing these charms so I can improve my body."

"You shouldn't use your charms to change your body, Feli." I said with a sweatdrop.

"But I'm tired of waiting! I'm only a year younger than you, yet you have bigger breasts than me!"

" **H-Hey! Th-They're not** _ **that**_ **big!** " I said with a faint blush.

"Well I mean, yeah. B-cupped breasts aren't nothing to be proud of…"

" _Watch it, Cousin._ " I said with a stern and somewhat threatening look and tone.

"S-Sorry. I just want people to stop calling me a loli."

"A what?"

"A loli. It's when a girl looks younger than her actual age."

"Seriously? That's a thing?"

"Of course it's a thing. You would know if you watched some anime every once in a while."

"I'm just not into that stuff."

"And yet, you wonder why everyone calls you girly..." Feli said with a shrug.

" **I'M NOT GIRLY!** "

"You don't really prove it, though."

" **This isn't even about me!** "

" _Right…_ "

 _Geez. Even my cousin gets a few hits on me. I really hate being teased._

"Look, Feli. You shouldn't be mad at yourself, nor should you be mad at Auntie. You really are a special girl. And if Auntie thinks you're better off living with me, then she knows that you need someone who's just as special as you."

"How are you special?"

"I'm going to pretend you didn't just asked that…" I sounding insulted.

"Sorry, I just had to." Feli grinned. Even though it took me getting insulted, I was glad to see Feli smiling again.

"Anyway, let's go downstairs. I think breakfast should be done by now." I said.

"Does _**she**_ still live here?" Feli asked. Judging from past experiences, I knew who exactly who she was talking about.

"Yes. She still lives her."

"Damnit. Maybe I can…"

"No. You can't. You're just gonna have to put up with her."

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ Fine. Thanks for letting me stay here, cousin."

"Hey, we're family. I would do anything for you."

"Really?"

"Really."

…

…

" _Well_ …in that case…" Feli then began to do her creepy laugh again. It isn't really creepy. She just does it a lot.

" **No, you can not touch my breasts again!** "

" _Ah, come on! Please?!_ "

" **No!** "

" _But, my charm…_ "

" **Not happening!** "

" _ ***moan***_ _Fine!_ "

After Feli stopped whining, we both headed downstairs for breakfast. I've got a feeling that Amira and Lily don't know yet that Feli's going to live with us.

 _Breakfast is going to be complete hell. I just know it._

As we made our way downstairs through the mansion to the dining room, I told Feli to keep her behavior in check and to stand behind me until I say so. She reluctantly agreed. Being upset that I'm "babying her", as she called it.

Hey, I'm just looking out for her. I don't have anyone else I get to look after.

…

…

At least…I wish I could say that.

"Hey, by the way. What were you talking about when you yelled about being a pervert for thinking of doing such things?"

 _ **Tch! Sh-She heard that?! How long was she spying on me?!**_

"N-Nothing of your concern. I was just saying random crap." I said with a faint blush. Embarrassed that I was thinking of those thoughts once more.

"Random crap? How did the name "Ami" become random crap?"

 _ **Now I feel completely violated!**_

"L-Look. A-Ami is…a-a good friend of mine. A _**really**_ good friend. That's basically all you need to know. So just drop it, already."

"Alright, fine. I get it. _But don't get comfortable, Cousin. This conversation is not over yet._ _Fufufufu._ "

 _She never lets up. Like a true Fielding girl. Though, I wish she would use that trait on something other than to destroy my privacy._

* * *

It took a while. But we finally reached the dining room where Lily, Amira, and Raina were sitting and eating breakfast. I reminded her on what I told her earlier. And like earlier, she got pissed off. But I ignored her and went inside to joined the others.

"Morning." I said.

" _ **Morning!**_ " Raina cheered.

"Good morning, Miss Raffina." Lily greeted.

"Hey, Sis. Didn't think you'll be up this early." Amira said.

"Well, yeah. Something came up."

" _A date with Amitie?_ "

" **N-No! Sh-Shut up!** " I started blushing.

"Miss Amira. Please don't start this early in the morning."

"Fine, fine."

I took some time to calm down from Amira's teasing before continuing on.

"Uh…hey, guys. You remember Feli, right?" I asked.

"Miss Feli? Yeah, what about her?" Lily asked.

" _Ooh! Feli! My sweet little loli cousin! I totally remember her!_ " Raina yelled in excitement.

 _How did she know what a loli was and I didn't?_

" _ **Ugh.**_ That brat? Why'd you bring her up?" Amira asked, sounding annoyed.

"W-Well…"

" **WHO ARE YOU CALLING A BRAT, YOU WITCH?!** " Feli yelled from behind me.

" **F-Feli?!** "

" **F-Feli?!** "

" _ **Feli!**_ "

" **What the hell are** _ **you**_ **doing here, you brat?!** " Amira yelled.

" _ **Cease calling me a brat at once, you imbecile!**_ _ **Or I shall send you to the deepest parts of hell!**_ "

" **I'd like to see you try, you damn little…** "

Feli and Amira continued to yell at each other while I sat at the table giving myself a huge facepalm.

"Uh…Miss Raffina. Why is Miss Feli here?" Lily asked.

"Well…she lives with us now."

" **WHAT?! AH, HELL NO! There's no way I'm living with this creepy ass goth girl!** " Amira yelled.

" _What did you call me?!_ " Feli yelled back. But was ignored.

"You don't have a choice, Amira. Auntie sent her here."

"Really? How come?" Lily asked.

"Her high school won't let her enroll and she nearly destroyed her house…36 times."

"With her charms, I suppose?"

"Yeah, pretty much. So, most likely she'll be going to school with me."

"She's going to the same high school as you?" Lily asked.

"She's going to high school?" Amira asked. "Isn't she like 10?"

" **I'm 15, damnit!** " Feli yelled. "And I'll have you know, I'm smarter than I look! I was the top student in my grade."

"Yeah, _was_. Before you got banned."

" _Why you little…_ " Feli then pointed one of her bent metal sticks at Amira in a threating way.

"Feli…" I said.

"Fine." She put the stick down.

" _Hey, Raffina. What's high school?_ " Raina asked.

"Huh? You mean you don't know? Aren't you supposed to know everything I know?"

"Well, she technically only a few weeks old, Miss Raffina." Lily said. "It's probably taking some time for her to realize what everything is. Plus, with her being inside most of the time."

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah, I guess."

"Woah…so this is really her? The other Raffina?" Feli asked.

"Oh, right. Feli, this is Raina. My…other self."

"Woah…an actual clone. And of my cousin, no less."

" _Hiya, Feli! Nice to see you again!_ " Raina cheered.

"Nice to see me again? We just met."

"Miss Raina shares Miss Raffina's memories." Lily said.

"Can't believe you couldn't figure that out. Top of the class, my ass." Amira added with a snicker.

" _Tch. Screw you._ "

 _This is going to be every day, isn't it?_

"Anyway. To answer your question, Raina…high school is a place where you go to and learn stuff."

" _Learn stuff? Like what?_ "

"I-I don't know. Math, Science, all that other crap. I can't really say until I get there."

"Until _**you**_ get there?" Lily asked.

"Yeah. Until I get there. What's wrong with that, Lily?"

"Really, Miss Raffina? We're playing this game?"

Lily continued to stare at me with a stern look to the point it became unbearable. She and I both knew what I was supposed to say. And I honestly hate the fact that I'm admitting it.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine, Lily. I get it. I know that Raina would have to come with me."

" _Huh? Go to where?_ " Raina asked.

"To high school, Raina. You, Feli, and I are going together."

" _ **Really?! Oh, **** yeah! I'm going to high school! Yay!**_ "

"Well, she definitely swears like you, Cousin." Feli said. "I think whatever cloned you got it right on the nose."

"Seriously. Why is swearing the first thing that comes to people's minds when they think of me?"

"Because you swear a lot, Sis." Amira said. "Even during regular conversations."

"Hmph. As if that's ******* true."

…

…

"Damnit…" I then facepalmed myself after realizing that I just proved everyone's point.

"Anyway. Back to the topic at hand." Lily said.

" _Ugh._ Do I really gotta live with this loli brat?" Amira asked. "She'll drive me crazy."

"Likewise, you nuisance she-devil." Feli said.

"What was that, you little…"

"Hey. You two better get along now. I don't want to hear a bunch of yelling and arguing 24/7."

"For real, Lily?" Amira asked.

"Or you could just move out, Amira." I said. "You are 21."

…

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. Feli can stay. Since I don't have a choice."

 _You had a choice! You're just too lazy to move out!_

"And I'll at least try to put up with her. For you, cousin." Feli said.

"Good. I guess." I said.

"So, Miss Feli. You brought all your stuff with you, I assume?" Lily asked.

"Yes. Although most of it's still being transported here."

"I see. So that explains why Baldanders is in the front yard."

"You brought Baldanders with you?" I asked her.

"Of course I did. Didn't you read the note?"

"Huh?" I re-read the note and saw the last part which I paid no attention to before.

 _P.S. She wouldn't leave without Bal. So you're stuck with him too._

 _How am I now noticing this?_

"Bal's here?! Sweet! I'm going out to see him!" Amira shouted as she stormed out the room in excitement.

"Hey! Stay away from my dog!" Feli yelled as she chased after her.

" _ ***sigh***_ Here we go again. You coming, Lily?"

"I might as well. I don't think anyone's going to eat breakfast now." Lily said.

" _ **Yay! Doggie!**_ " Raina cheered.

We all walked outside to meet up with Amira, Feli, and the oddly oversized dog known as Baldanders.

It's unknown why he's so freaking big. According to Feli, he was the size of a normal puppy when she found him. My guess is it's something she did to him. But there's no way she'll admit that.

"Hey, Bal. Long time no see." I said.

"ARF! ARF!"

"You've gotten…bigger since we last saw you." Lily added.

"ARF!"

"Feli, where'd you say you got Baldanders again?"

"I told you, Raffina. I found him in a box outside near my school." Feli said.

"That sounds a bit too suspicious…"

" _ ***whine***_ "

" _Raffina! Quit being mean to the big doggie!_ " Raina yelled at me as she was cuddling with Bal.

"His name's Baldanders, Raina…" Feli said with a sweatdrop."

"And I'm not being mean to him." I added. "He's just a really big dog. The biggest I've ever seen, as a matter of fact."

"Yes, I can agree. You should be proud of yourself, Baldanders." Lily said.

"Well, of course!" Feli gloated while hugging her dog. "Nothing is impossible for my Bal! Right, boy?"

"ARF! ARF!"

"Hey! Quit hogging him all to yourself!" Amira complained.

"Why shouldn't I?! He's _**my**_ dog! And I think I remember telling you to stay away from him!"

" **Why don't you make me, you damn brat!** "

" **I'll show you, you idiotic she-devil!** "

Amira and Feli continued to yell at each other while the four of us sat there and watched.

" _They're really going at it._ " Raina said.

"So, this is going to be every day, huh?" Lily asked.

"Yep. Better get used to it." I replied.

" _ ***whine***_ "

* * *

Eventually, the two of them stopped yelling at each other and went there separate ways. Amira had to run the jewelry store today, Lily stayed home to watch Baldanders, and Raina left to meet up with this friend of hers.

 _Now that I think about it, who is this friend of hers?_

So it was just me and Feli as we walked down the plaza together we weren't sure where we were going. So as of right now, we were just walking around.

"It's been a while since you last been to Primp, huh Feli?" I asked.

"Yeah, it has." Feli said. "Though I'm surprised everything looks the same."

"Yeah, true. Although everyone's still recovering from the Summer Festival."

" **Wait, what?!** **I missed the Summer Festival?! Why didn't you tell me?!** "

"Sorry. I didn't think you were into those."

"I'm not. But having Lemres see me in a cute yukata would've been **SO** worth it."

I stopped right then and there on the sidewalk and stared at Feli with complete and utter shock.

"Wh-What?" She asked.

"Y-You said… **YOU SAID THE WORD CUTE!** "

" **J-JERK!** " Feli shouted while giving me a small shove.

"Sorry. It's just that took me by surprise."

"Geez. I'm still a girl, you know. I can be cute if I want to."

"Really? Like when? The only time you smile is when you're either doing your charms, you're with me, or when you're with Lemres."

"W-Well…performing charms are fun. A-And you're my cousin, so I like being around you. And you know how much I love Lemres."

"Yeah, I know. But "cute" isn't exactly the first thing people say when they look at you. You know, with every shirt and pants you own is either grey or black."

"As I said, I can be cute if I want to."

"Again, when?"

Feli then suddenly started blushing deeply while slowly turning to the side away from me. It took her a while for her to say what was on her mind, but she eventually gained the courage to do so.

"Wh-When I…p-pick out…c-cute…panties."

"Wh-Whoa…" Now I was deeply blushing. "I-I see…"

" **Please don't tell anyone I said that! Please!** "

"Okay, Feli. Your secrets safe with me."

"Th-Thanks…Raffina."

"Hey, speaking of Lemres…we're just about to approach his sweets shop. You want to-

" **YES! OH DEAR GOD, YES! TAKE ME TO HIM THIS INSTANT!** "

…

…

"I-I mean…can you take me to see Lemres? Please, Raffina?"

I giggled at Feli's multiple personality trait and patted her on the head.

"Sure. Let's go."

Feli grew a small smile on her face as we continued our now walk to the sweets shop.

* * *

"Well, here we are." I said as we stood in front of the doors of Lemres' sweets shop.

" _Yes._ _ **YES!**_ _ **In just mere seconds, I'm going to see my one true love! If only I had my charm book! I've could've made one that would confine our love forever! Damnit!**_ "

" _Feli…_ "

"R-Right. Sorry."

We both went inside the shop to see Lemres standing behind the counter. Sitting across from him were two people I didn't expect to see today.

"Huh? Hey, Ami. Hey, Ally."

"Raffi!" Amitie cheered as she jumped off the stool she was sitting on and came towards me and we hugged each other once we made contact. We tried to resist our urges to kiss each other, but we failed.

"Hey, you two. This area is a no boinking zone."

" **A-As if we're going to do that!** " Ami yelled at Ally.

"You don't know that, Ami. For all we know, it could end up like that story Melody wrote. Steamy bits and all."

" _So, she really didn't delete it, huh?_ " Amitie said in a pissed off tone.

"You must be pretty gullible to not notice the recycle bin, Ami. That's like common sense to a lot of people."

"Get real…can you believe this, Raffi?"

…

"Raffi…"

…

"Raffi!"

"H-Huh?! O-Oh, yeah. Pretty crappy, Ami." I said with a small laugh.

 _Damnit! I was thinking about it again! And now my body is feeling weird in public. These dirty thoughts are going to drive me insane._

"Uh…okay?" Both girls said with confused looks. Then we turned our attention to the back counter. What was happening there was Feli was acting googly while staring at Lemres.

" _H-Hi, Lemres! I-I missed you!_ " She said.

"Feli. It's been a while since you were last here. How've you been?" Lemres asked.

" _I-It could…be better. I-I kinda…got rejected from my high school._ "

"Oh dear. That's horrible."

" _I-It is. B-But now I live with Raffina, s-so I can go to school with her._ "

"Well, that's nice."

" _Y-Yes. A-And we can see each other every day. A-And with my charms,_ _ **we can be together in love forever! Such is fate! Fufufufu!**_ "

"Uh…Feli…please calm down." Lemres said in the most calm way possible.

"So…Raffina. Who's the creepy loli?" Ally asked.

" _ **I'm not a loli!**_ " Feli whined as she turned to face us.

"Sh-She changed personalities!" Amitie freaked out.

" _ **Raffina! Tell them I'm not a loli!**_ "

Both Amitie and Ally then looked at me with a crap ton of confusion on their faces.

"I can explain. You see, this my cousin. Feli…Feli…"

…

…

"Wh-What…What was your last name again?" I asked Feli.

" **You forgot my last name?!** "

"W-Well, sorry! It's just we haven't seen each other in a while. Anyway, it's Fielding, right?"

"No."

"It's not?"

Feli just did a huge facepalm before turning to my friends.

"It's Kuromi. My name is Feli Kuromi. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Feli. I'm Amitie Rose."

"And I'm Ally Nakano. Nice to meet you, A-cup."

" _Tch! A-A-cup?!_ " Feli whined with a blush on her face.

"Knock it off, Ally." I said to her. "Anyway. Feli now lives with us and can do these special charms on people. Including herself."

" _ **Raffina…**_ "

"Also, she hates being called a loli."

"Right." Amitie said.

"I see." Ally added.

I then looked at Amitie and nodded at her, signaling what I want to do next. She agreed, and we held each other's hand as we got looked at Feli.

"Hey, Feli. One more thing about Amitie… she's my girlfriend."

"Your girlfriend? Raffina…you're gay?"

"Yeah, I am. You don't hate me, do you?"

"What?! No! Of course not! Why should I care if you like the same gender? I'm not a religious person."

"Yeah, those people are assholes." Ally added.

"Truth." Ami and I agreed.

"Point is…I could never hate you, Cousin. Even if I don't understand it much."

"Thanks, Feli. That means a lot." I said while trying to not shed a tear.

"I'm just glad you found someone to be happy with."

"Yeah. Ami does make me happy."

"Ami?"

"It's a nickname some people call me." Amitie explained. "Most people call me Amitie."

"I see."

"You know, Feli. I'm gay, too." Ally said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. And her girlfriend is Lidelle." I explained.

" **L-Lidelle?! Really?!** "

"Yeah, it was a shock to us too." Amitie said.

"Wow…"

Lemres then cleared his throat in order to get our attention. I honestly forgot he was here the whole time. Despite it being **his** shop.

"Sorry for breaking up the introductions, but I'm closing up shop soon. Do you girls need anything before I go?" He asked.

" **YOU'RE HAND IN MARRIAGE!** " Feli shouted.

"Besides that."

"We'll just take some ice cream to go." Amitie said. "Hey, Raffi. Wanna stay at my place tonight?"

"Sure, Ami-" I then stopped myself mid-sentence and started blushing again. "A-Actually…I can't. I-I agreed to help Feli unpack her stuff later."

"Huh? When did you…"

 ***ELBOW NUDGE***

" _Ow!_ " Feli whined after I nudged her waist with my elbow.

"Oh, okay. I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick. Ally, get me a scoop." Amitie then headed for the bathroom.

"What flavor do you want?" Ally asked.

"Mint Chocolate-Chip. You should know, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Hey, Lemres. Is there any Cookies 'n Cream left? I could give some to Lidelle."

"Hmm. You could…but wouldn't you rather get Lidelle's favorite flavor?" Lemres asked.

"L-Lidelle's favorite flavor?! _Ooh!_ What is it?!"

"Ah, yes. Lidelle's favorite ice cream flavor…Double Mocha Ice Cream Sundae."

 _Wh-What the hell kind of flavor is that?!_

"W-Wow. Sounds like a lot."

"Yes, it is. But Lidelle's eaten it tons of times before. It calms down her multiple growth spurts."

 _Multiple?_

"Yeah, I bet. With that appetite of hers. I'll take two then."

"Excellent choice. I would tell you to say it was your idea, but she'll probably figure out it was me."

"Yeah, I bet."

"And what would you like, Feli?" Lemres asked.

"U-Uh…w-well…ch-ch-chocolate. I-I want chocolate…pl-please?" Feli stuttered while blushing throughout the whole thing.

"Alright. Coming right up." Lemres then started packing each individual ice cream in a separate container.

"Wow, you really are cute." I said.

" _ **Sh-Shut up, Raffina!**_ "

I giggled at Feli's embarrassed reaction.

* * *

Arriving back home, I ended up helping Feli unpack her stuff. It was originally an excuse to not go with Ami. But I guess she took it seriously. And she had a ton of stuff, too. Most of it related to the Occult or something.

 _Why is she so interested in that stuff? It's creepy._

That mess ended up taking up the rest of my day. So, I decided to change into pj's and call it in. While laying in my bed, u began thinking to myself.

 _ ***sigh***_ _Damn. I didn't mean to reject Ami like that. Staying at her would've been amazing. The two of us…cuddling together in pure bliss. Caressing her soft body…smelling good from the obvious bath she's taken…while engulfing ourselves in a long and sentimental make-out session._

 _And then…in pure happiness and excitement…I slowly lower my hand. Lower and lower…down her soft petite body and inside of her…_

 _P…_

 _Pa…_

 _P-Pan…P-P-Panties._

 _A-And inside of those…A-Ami…_

 _V-Va…_

 _P-Pu…_

…

…

…

" **GAAAH! GODDAMNIT! WHY AM I THINKING OF SUCH STUFF?! I'M TALKING ABOUT VOILOLANTING MY GIRLFRIEND, FOR ****'S SAKE! WHAT THE **** IS WRONG WITH ME?!** "

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Miss Raffina. Who are you talking to?"

 _Crap!_

"U-Uh…n-no one, Lily! J-Just reading this funny book!"

"Oh. Well, then please keep it down. It's getting late."

"Y-Yes, Lily."

Once I heard footsteps getting quieter, I laid myself flat on my bed. Embarrassed for…well, Lily hearing my outburst, for one. But mainly, thinking of those perverted actions again. Melody's story had flipped a switch inside of me. These thoughts keep clouding up my mind like it's all I think about nowadays. And every time I do, my body gets warm, my mind goes blank, and finally…

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ I can't ignore it anymore."

I got up from my bed and headed for my walk-in closet. Digging through a bunch of stuff until I finally found what I was looking for.

A box of tissues.

" _I'm gonna feel so dirty after this…_ "

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **I don't have to explain what Raffina did with that box of tissues now, do I? I'm pretty sure I made clear enough.**

 **Anyway. With Feli now here, her first POV will be a lot earlier than it was when the stories were separated. Mainly, a couple of chapters from now.**

 **Speaking of which…I'm not sure if any of you have noticed, but I have taken down Tsu and Fever. After thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that it made no sense having stories with the same chapters (especially with ones that received/will receive the least changes). This will still be a series, but it will probably have like mini-stories of something to that nature. Kinda like The First Date.**

 **On an unrelated (and hopefully cheerful) note, I got Luigi's Mansion 3 yesterday. It's my first time playing this series and so far I'm having fun with it. Although, I think I've reached the part of the game where the puzzles and bosses are really difficult to figure out. I had to look up some of them, honestly. And the fact that this is my first game makes it even harder. But I'm trying.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	43. The Special Letter

**Chapter 43 – The Special Letter**

 **Lidelle's POV**

" _ ***moan***_ _Poochy! Let me sleep!_ "

…

" _Huh? Nothing?_ "

I opened my eyes a little to see my room and everything in it. The only thing that was nowhere in sight was Poochy.

" _Huh…Poochy's not here. I think I'm starting to get used to him licking me up every morning._ "

I began rubbing my eyes a little and turned over on my bed in an attempt to go back to sleep. As I stopped my eye rubbing, however, I saw something that really caught me off guard. Something blue…green…stripped…k-kinda cute…

…

…

" **GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!** "

" **GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!** "

The sight of it fully woke me up in an instant. I shouted as I backed up so much I fell off my bed. It also woke up another person there. The owner of the blue, green, stripped, and…k-kinda cute thing I saw.

"L-Lidelle?! What happened?! Why'd you scream just now?!"

" **A-A-Ally! Y-Y-You're p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p…** "

It took Ally a couple of seconds to realize what I was freaking out about, and she instantly blushed out of embarrassment.

" _ ***shriek***_ **I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!** " She shouted while pulling her black tee down.

It took us a couple of minutes of silence for each of us to calm down, as this wasn't something people normally wake up to. After about 5 minutes, I was able to say something.

"A-Ally…d-do you normally wear only a shirt and panties when you go to bed?"

"Y-Yeah. I-I do. S-Sorry for not telling you. I-It's…kinda embarrassing, you know? Explaining this sort of thing to your just recent girlfriend and…such."

"O-Oh…I-I see." I started blushing.

…

…

 _So awkward._

It's been 2 weeks since Ally and I became lovers. And so far, it's been a little…awkward recently. So the two of us decided to spend more time together.

One way is that Ally stays at my house for a while, with every few days she goes back to Amitie's to pick up fresh clothes. Mother was okay with it. In fact, she found it, in her words, "adorbs".

She's clearly Melody's best friend from high school.

"W-Well…can you put on some pants please?"

"R-Right."

Ally went towards the side of the bed and dug into her overnight bag that she keeps here. She pulled out a pair of grey shorts and gets underneath the covers to put them on, then came back out and sat on the edge of the bed.

"S-Sorry my panties woke you up." She said, still sounding embarrassed.

"It's okay. It's only… **11:42am!?** " I shouted when I looked at the time on my phone.

" **We've nearly slept the entire morning!** "

"Well, that's…kind of an accomplishment, right?"

Ally thought about it for a second.

"Yeah, it is. We're starting to become an actual lesbian couple."

"Yeah. We really are."

I got up from the floor and sat on the bed next to Ally. I then wrapped my arms around her waist and she did the same to me, and we started kissing each other on the lips. This lasted for about 10 seconds. We're trying to not be as affectionate as Amitie and Raffina. We broke our lips apart and stared deeply into each other's eyes.

"I love you, Ally."

"I love you too, Lidelle."

* * *

Soon after we came out of my room and freshen up a bit before heading to the living room. There we saw Mother, Ringo, and Rulue sitting around the table talking to each other. Rulue had moved in with us since she had nowhere else to go after the festival.

"Morning, everyone." We both said.

"Well, look who decided to wake up. It's almost noon, you know." Ringo said.

"Yeah, we…kinda overslept." I responded.

"Kinda?"

"Okay, we get it, Ringo. You don't need to interrogate us."

"Alright, alright."

" _ ***giggle***_ You two must _**really**_ love sleeping to wake up this late." Mother said.

"Yeah well…"

"What are you talking about, Yumi? You used to sleep in all the time." Rulue claimed.

"Really?!" Ally, Ringo, and I asked in shock.

"Yep, it's true. Back when we were in high school, the four of us would always have to go to Yumi's house just to wake her up in the mornings. And she was a heavy sleeper, too."

" _Woah…_ "

"O-Okay, Rulue-senpai! I think they get it!" Mother sounded like she was embarrassed, which was a rare sight for me.

"I didn't think you were the one to sleep in, Mother."

"W-Well, during that time…I was seeing your father a lot."

"Wait, you met Dad during high school?"

"Yes, but he was never a student. You know, with him being the demon king and all."

"Oh, yeah."

"I always found it interesting how you and your brother got my green hair and your father's horns."

 _Geez, Mother. Did you really had to bring_ _him_ _up?_

"Oh, yeah. Your brother." Ringo said, sounding unamused.

"You have a brother, Lidelle?" Ally asked.

"Yeah, but he rarely comes to visit. When Dad died he took over as the demon king. I personally wouldn't mind this if he didn't go to a completely different world, which was completely unnecessary."

"Oh, wow."

"And not only that, when he **does** come to visit, he talks non-stop about this girl name Arly that he says he's fallen in love with. And based on what he's told us so far, she doesn't feel the same way."

"Wait…Arly? That sounds a lot like Arle, doesn't it?"

I thought about this for a second…

"Huh…yeah it does, actually."

…And then it hit me.

" **W-WAIT A MINUTE!** "

" **Is Arle this** " **Arly** " **he keeps talking about?!** " Ringo asked, just as shocked as I was.

"Wow. That's crazy." Ally said.

" _No…no, it can't…_ **IT CAN'T BE!** " Rulue shouted. Unlike the rest of us, she looked more…distressed.

"R-Rulue-senpai! What's wrong?!" Mother asked.

Rulue looked extremely nervous as she turned to face Mother. Like she did something really bad to her.

"Y-Yumi…d-do you happen to know a guy named Satan?"

"Satan? Yes, he's my son."

" **AH, DAMN IT! I KNEW IT!** "

"Do you know him, Rulue-senpai?"

"Y-Yeah. He lives in the world I came from."

"Really now? So that's where he ran off to."

"A-And uh…Yumi…"

"Yes?"

"D-Don't get mad at me, but…a-at one point…I was in love with your son."

…

…

…

" **WHAAAAAT?!** " The four of us shouted.

"L-Like I said, I _**was**_ in love with him! Those feelings are long gone now!"

"Woah…I never would've thought." I said.

"Rulue-senpai…how on earth did you manage to fall in love with my son?" Mother asked.

"I didn't know he _**was**_ your son! I didn't even know he had a family. He never brought you guys up during a conversation."

" _Oh he didn't, huh?_ " I sounded angry.

Now you see why I don't like mentioning him.

"Plus…I never told him my real age. He thinks I'm 18."

"That's understandable. You do still have your 18-year-old body." Mother said.

"Hey, Rulue. What is your actual age?" Ally asked.

" **L-Like I'm telling you!** " Rulue then began to blush." **Don't you know that it's rude to ask a woman's age?!** "

"Oh, what's the big deal? I know that Lidelle's 15."

…

…

"Uh…what?" Ringo asked.

"What? She's 15, right?"

"Ally. Lidelle is actually…"

" **M-MOTHER, PLEASE! NOT ANOTHER WORD!** " I yelled in a panic.

"Huh? Why would you let me know your real age?" Ally asked me.

"I-It's…complicated."

" _Aw, what?_ "

"A-Anyway…" Rulue continued. "I'm really sorry, Yumi. I seriously didn't know. Are you able to forgive me?"

"Of course I am, Rulue-senpai. There's no way you've been able to know about that."

"Thanks a lot, Yumi."

"And besides, I'm more angry at Satan for never mentioning his own mother."

"And his sister." I added.

"And his cousin." Ringo added.

"Wow…this Satan guy sounds like a real douchebag." Ally said.

"I wouldn't blame you for saying that, Ally." Ringo said.

"Anyway…now with that out of the way, what's everyone planning to do today?" Mother asked.

"I'm staying home today. My friend Maguro's supposed to send me a text about what stuff I need for when school starts." Ringo said.

"I see. You know, Rulue-senpai, Ringo's going to Suzuran High School in August."

"Really? I didn't think that place was still open." Rulue said.

"It is." Ringo confirmed. "It's actually a train ride from my house."

"I see."

"Hey, Auntie. Do you think you and Rulue can tell me what It's like there? I'm really curious."

"Sure, I got time. What do you think, Rulue-senpai?"

"I've got no problem with that. It'll be like a trip down memory lane."

"Great! Thanks a lot!"

"Do you and Ally want to listen too, sweetie?"

"Maybe another time, Mother. Ally and I are trying to work on our relationship."

"I see. Well, good luck you two."

After I changed my clothes into some dark-grey shorts and my favorite green sweater, I met up with Ally, who was feeding Poochy some food, and we left through the front door.

"See you later, Poochy!" We both said.

" _ARF! ARF!_ "

* * *

With nothing else to do, we decided to go to the park and walk around a bit, in an attempt to make our relationship stronger.

"It's really peaceful today isn't it?" Ally asked.

"Yeah, it really is. Kinda surprising, to be honest."

"Hey, Lidelle. Can I tell you something?"

"A secret?"

"Well, I wouldn't call it a secret. But it's something I think you should know."

"Alright, hit me."

"Right here, in this park, I didn't realize my feelings for you on my own. I had a little help."

"Really? From who?"

"You won't believe it, but…it was Ms. Accord."

"Ms. Accord? Wow, I never would've thought."

"Yeah, but I didn't understand what she meant by it at first. I had to do the thinking on my own."

"Yeah, that sounds a lot like her." I said with a sweatdrop. Remembering all the times Ms. Accord had bailed on us to think for ourselves.

Which, by the way…I lost count of how many times it's happened.

"But hey, it made me realize that I love you. So it's not all bad."

"Yeah, true. We should probably go thank her some time."

"Yeah, we should."

After a few more minutes of peaceful walking, we encountered a semi-big tree that neither one of us have seen before. What was strange about it was not the tree itself, but what was on it. Or in this case, _who_ was on it.

"Isn't that Arle and Schezo?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is. Though, why's Schezo climbing the tree?" Ally asked.

"Not sure. Wanna go over there and find out?"

"Sure. It looks interesting."

We walked over to the tree where Arle and Schezo were and we were able to hear their conversation.

" **Come on, Schezo! Hurry up and grab it already!** " Arle was shouting at him from below.

" **I'm trying! Climbing a tree is not the easiest thing in the world!** "

"You're only saying that because you've never done it yourself."

"Hmph. As if you can do better."

"Please. I can do this with little to no effort."

"Well, then. If it's _**so**_ easy for you, then why don't you come and get it yourself?"

"For what? So that you can get a good view of my panties? As if, pervert."

" **Like I have ANY interest in seeing your panties!** "

"You don't? So, you **DO** swing that way!"

" **NO, I DON'T!** "

"Uh, Arle…what are you two doing?" I asked.

"Oh. Lidelle! Ally!" Arle greeted us. "Well you see, I have something important to give to someone but the wind ended up blowing it into the tree up there. I was lucky enough to run into Schezo just a few moments afterward."

"Yeah. _**Real**_ lucky." Schezo retorted.

"Just hurry up and grab it!"

" _ *****_ _ **sigh**_ _ *****_ Fine!"

"What's this thing you're trying to get, anyway?" Ally asked.

"Um…w-well…" Arle started blushing and twiddling her fingers. Ally had whispered in my ear what she thinks it for, and it giggled at the possibility.

"Let me guess, Arle. Whatever's up there…it's for Sig, isn't it?" Ally asked with a smile on her face.

" **WH-WH-WH-WH-WHAT?! N-N-N-N-NOO! That's not it at all!** "

" _It isn't?_ " We both asked in a teasing way.

…

…

" **Okay, fine!** It is for Sig! It's really important to me so I really need it back."

"Okay, Arle. We get it." I said.

" **HAHA! I GOT IT!** " Schezo shouted.

" **You got it?! You got my thing?!** "

"Well, I got…something. But it's not like there's anything else up here."

Schezo used his sword to grab the thing in question. With every strike he made, the leaves on the tree moved like crazy.

" **Hey! Quit poking me!** "

…

…

"D-Did that tree just talk?" I asked.

"It did, didn't it?" Arle asked.

"Sounds like a whiner." Ally said.

"Whatever it is, it's not going to make me waste my time doing this insane climb!" Schezo said as he continued to poke the same spot as before. After a few more pokes, the tree started shaking frantically and after a short while…

" **AAAHHH!** "

" **AAAHHH!** "

Someone ended up falling out it, bringing Schezo down with them.

" **Gao! Who the hell kept poking me like that?! It** _ **really**_ **hurt!** "

"Huh? Draco?" Arle said.

"Huh? Arle! You're here too! I almost didn't recognize you with your hair down! Hey, cool outfit!"

"Thanks. What were you doing in that tree?"

"Oh, that. I was giving myself a little tan for the next beauty pageant, but then something kept poking me and I ended up losing my balance. Luckily this new world is so soft. I didn't feel a thing!"

"Uh…"

" _That's because I did._ "

"Huh? Who said that?"

"Draco…look beneath you."

Draco looked below her to see that she was sitting on top of Schezo.

"Schezo! You're here too!"

"Yes, I'm here. **Now get off me!** " Schezo yelled. Draco then got off of Schezo and stood up on his own.

"You better be lucky I'm too exhausted to do anything or else I would be _penetrating_ _your_ _insides_ right now."

The rest of us looked at him with slight discomfort.

"Uh, Schezo…You just did it again." Arle said to him.

…

" **Ah, Damn it!** "

"It's okay, Schezo. I have no idea what you're talking about anyway." Draco said.

"Okay…I guess."

 _Is this girl just as much of an airhead as Harpy?_

"So, guys. Is this girl a friend of yours?" Ally asked.

"Yeah, she is. This is Draco Centauros. She's a half-dragon girl. Can breathe fire and all that." Arle explained.

"Hiya! Name's Draco! Nice to meet ya!" Draco greeted us.

"Nice to meet you too, Draco. I'm Lidelle, and this is my girlfriend, Ally."

"Nice to meet you, Draco." Ally replied.

"Girlfriend? Is that some kind of friendship rank you get?"

"Friendship rank?" We both sounded confused.

 _Scratch that. I think this girl is a_ _ **BIGGER**_ _airhead than Harpy._

"S-Sorry, guys. Draco's not that…bright." Arle said.

"Hey, I am too bright! Otherwise, I wouldn't be entering the beauty contest happening here soon!"

"Beauty contest?" We were even more confused.

"Draco has this fixation for beauty pageants. She spends her time gearing herself up for one, even when there's none happening."

"Which is 99.9% of the time." Schezo added.

"Oh, wow." We said.

" **Hmph!** You're all just jealous that you have no chance of beating me!" Draco pouted.

"I'm a guy! I don't have a chance because I have no interest!"

" **YAY! LESS COMPETITION!** "

 _Yep. Huge airhead._

"Anyway, Draco." Arle continued. "Did you see something else up there?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I did! I found this letter up there. Who's this Sig whatever?"

" **He's not a whatever! He's my friend!** "

"Really? It's for a friend? _Ooh!_ Let me see!" Draco started opening the letter.

" **GIVE ME THAT!** " Arle swiped the letter from her hands and placed it in her pocket.

" _Aw!_ But I wanna know what it says!"

" **Hell no!** "

" **Gao!** "

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Draco?"

"Uh…oh yeah! I was supposed to get something for Wicchi! See ya guys later! _***giggle***_ " Draco then flew off using her wings, leaving a huge gust of wind behind.

"Wow. She's uh…something." I said.

"Yeah. With her around, things are going to get a little…interesting to say the least." Arle said.

"And not only that, Witch is here, too." Schezo added.

"Oh yeah. She is."

"Who's Witch?" Ally asked.

"Another friend of ours. She makes potions for a living, but they're usually ones nobody needs."

"I see."

"Well, whatever. I'm exhausted to think about her right now." Schezo said. "Your welcome for me getting that letter back. Now I'm going home." He then began walking off.

"Oh, right. Thanks, Schezo."

"So, what are you going to do now, Arle?" I asked.

"Hmm. Not sure. I'll probably just go home now."

"Then I'll come too. I need to get fresh clothes anyway." Ally said.

"Geez, Ally. At this rate, you might as well move in with Lidelle."

We both started blushing as red as if someone pored fruit punch all over us.

"N-N-N-N-No. Th-That's not necessary."

"Y-Y-Yeah. It's only temporary." I added.

"Okay, if you say so." Arle shrugged her shoulders.

The three of us then made our way to Amitie's house.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **I got nothing much to say about this chapter. Nothing important, that is.**

 **But…it's time I became honest with you guys. You may have noticed that updates have been rather scarce lately. That's because I've been…well…purposely not doing these stories.**

 **The thing is…I'm kinda losing my confidence in writing Puyo fics. As in every time I try to write something Puyo-related, I just…get stuck. I make no progress whatsoever and then I just give up. And this has been going one for a good while now, too. I basically forced myself to write this one. Didn't give it my all. Just scanned through it changing minor stuff.**

 **I did this so that I can at least let you guys know what going on. I'm not sure when (if even) I'll come out of this slump. I feel bad that I don't as much feeling for this as I did before. Hopefully, I get over it.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	44. The Soulless Twin Sister

**Chapter 44 – The Soulless Twin Sister**

 **Ally's POV**

A couple of minutes later, the three of us made it to Ami's house and I opened the door to get inside.

"We're home." Arle and I said.

"In here, you guys." We heard Ami's voice.

We went into the living room to see Raffina, Peruvis, and Feli sitting in front of the TV. Raffina and Peruvis were once again playing Panel de Pon, while Feli watched from behind.

And then sitting behind them was Ami messing around with Melody's computer. And by "messing around", I mean that she's struggling on how to use it.

Ami was never good with computers.

" **Gah! What's with this thing?! I can't get past this stupid black screen!** "

"Ami…the computer is off." I said to her.

"What?" Ami then looked at the screen while pressing more keys. When they didn't do anything, that's when it finally hit her. " **Gah! Are you serious?! How was anyone supposed to know that?!** "

"It's pretty obvious…"

" **Shut it, Ally!** "

"Ami. Keep it down. I need all my focus on this next round." Raffina said while not even taking her eyes off the game.

"Get real…" Ami gained a sweatdrop.

"What were you trying to do, anyway?" Arle asked.

"I'm trying to get on Mom's computer so that I can delete that dirty story she wrote about Raffi and I. Now that I know that she didn't delete it, I gotta do it myself."

"Oh, come on, Ami. It wasn't that bad." I said.

"Yeah, it was actually kinda romantic." Lidelle added.

"Romantic?! Raffi was groping my breasts!"

"Your _**non-existing**_ breasts." I teased.

" _ **Ally…**_ "

"Hey, Amitie. Come on. I really need to focus on beating Raffina." Peruvis said while also not taking her eyes off the game.

"Are you serious…" Ami gained another sweatdrop.

"Hey, Amitie." Feli said as she walked up to us. "If you really need to get on there, I can probably help you out."

"Really? Wow! Thanks, Feli!"

"Feli? Wow, I didn't know you were back in town. It's nice to see you again." Lidelle said.

"It's nice to see you again too, Lidelle." Feli responded. "I actually live here now. Due to some…unfortunate circumstances."

"You mean with your lovey-dovey charms?"

"H-Hey! They are NOT lovey-dovey charms!" Feli then went silent for a bit. "W-Well, okay. **MOST** of them are lovey-dovey. B-But I do other charms!"

"Do you really?"

" _Fufufufu._ Indeed, I do. And one particular charm can bypass any type of electronic device known to mankind. I'll get you on there, Amitie."

"Yes! Thanks again, Feli!" Ami cheered.

"Uh…guys. Should we really be doing this?" Arle asked.

"It could break Melody's computer and it's an invasion of privacy." I added.

"You're the last person I want to hear anything about invasion of privacy, Ally." Ami said to me.

 _She has a point. But I'm proud of being nosey!_

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine, whatever. Don't say I didn't warn you when your ass is screwed."

"Alright, Feli. Make with the charm!"

" _Fufufufu._ A computer as old as this…the charm will be affected tenfold."

Feli then brought out her two bent metal rods and pointed them at the computer. While they were starting to glow, Feli began saying this chant.

" _I call upon the Goddess of Hexes. This object has wronged and hurt me dearly. Curse thy object with the worst of Luck. As to have it feel the hurt they have caused me. Have it last as long as needed. So mote it be!_ "

The rods then began to glow a very bright purple light. And after that, a huge purple magic circle appeared underneath the computer. With a whole bunch of weird-looking writing all over the outer rings.

 _ **H-Holy crap! This is amazing! Is THIS what hexes are like?! Now I don't care what happens to Melody's computer! I just wanna see more of this stuff!**_

Soon after, the magic circle went away and Feli's rods stopped glowing. We thought that it didn't do anything after a few seconds of waiting. But then…

 ***SOUNDS OF A COMPUTER TURNING ON***

" **Wh-What?! I-It turned on!** " Lidelle yelled.

"No freaking way…" Arle said in disbelief.

"It even got past the login screen…" I added.

" **Alright! Thanks, Feli! You were a huge help!** " Ami cheered.

" _Fufufufu._ Anytime." Feli responded. "I'm just glad people over here appreciate my Occult Art of Divination."

 _Is that what it's called?_

"Now. All I need to do is go to where Mom keeps her stories and…wait, how do I do that?"

" _ ***sigh***_ I swear. You are hopeless when it comes to computers, Ami." I said.

" **Sh-Shut up! J-Just help me out!** "

"Alright, alright. Move over." I took control of the computer and went over to the file library to find the dirty story. I found her Story file real easily…but when I clicked on it, barley anything was there. It was just this one document that was tilted "READ ME".

And so, I clicked on that…and this is what showed up.

 _Hiya, Ami._

 _If you're reading this, then you probably got some weird magical crap to get onto my computer. With your main purpose being to delete that steamy story I wrote about you and your girlfriend._

 _Well, unfortunately for you, I was already one step ahead. A couple of nights ago, I placed it and my current light novel onto a flash drive that I keep with me. To prevent stuff like this from happening._

 _I could've told you straight up…but I felt like trolling you was_ _ **WAY**_ _more fun! So, I let ya did what you did._

 _Oh, and Ally. Thanks for helping my gullible daughter find this document. I owe ya big time!_

 _Anyway. Hope you now know to respect one's privacy, Ami. See ya soon!_

 _Mom_

And then attached to the bottom was an MP3 file with a big play button on it. When I clicked on that…

" _ ***snicker***_ _Oh my God._ **It's the Trololo Song!** " Lidelle and Feli yelled out as they broke down laughing.

"Oh, this woman is **GOOD**." I said.

" _ **Grr…**_ **GODDAMNIT, MOM!** " Amitie shouted in pure rage. She was the only one who didn't find it funny. Well…besides Arle. She had a really confused look on her face.

 _Must not know what a meme is…_

"Seriously, guys! Keep it down!" Both Raffina and Peruvis yelled while, once again, not looking away from the screen.

" **I'M ABOUT TO DELETE THAT GIRLY-ASS GAME!** "

" **IT'S NOT GIRLY!** " Both girls then suddenly yelled at us.

 _ **THAT**_ _got their attention?!_

"Hey, Cousin." Feli said. "Glad to see you came back to earth."

"Shut it, Feli."

"You guys really need to stop bashing this game." Peruvis said. "We would be at each other's throats if it wasn't for this game."

"Yeah, but didn't this game start the feud in the first place?" I asked.

…

…

…

"Oh, yeah." They both said with a sweatdrop.

"That game must have a lot of history with those two, huh?" Arle asked.

"You ain't wrong about that, uh…wait, who are you again?"

"Oh, right. You guys haven't met." Raffina said. "Feli, this is Arle Nadja. She's the girl I told you about."

"Wait, you mean the girl who came out of that mirror about a month ago?"

"Yep." Arle said. "The very same. Guess I'm pretty famous around here for being " _That one girl who came from a different world_ "."

"Unbelievable…a mirror that transports you to a different world. I wish I had such a thing in **MY** possession. The number of things I could do with it…" Feli then began to laugh kinda creepily.

"Thank God it got destroyed."

"Hey!" Feli yelled at her cousin.

"Well, anyway…nice to meet you, Feli." Arle said.

"Same here, Arle."

* * *

For the next 30 minutes or so, we all just sat around and talked with each other. With Ami and Raffina sharing a kiss every once in a while. I would say how unnecessary it was…but Lidelle and I would do the same thing. So, neither one of us had the right to say anything.

"So, how's this experiment going along, you two?" Peruvis asked us.

"It's going well. We've been getting a lot closer together as of late." I answered.

"Yeah, but this morning was a little _**too**_ close." Lidelle added.

"Y-Yeah. It was." We both started blushing.

" _Oh?_ What happened?" Raffina asked.

" **Nothing! Nothing happened!** " We both yelled.

Raffina and Peruvis turned to look at each other and smiled with a smartass attitude.

" _Oh, yeah. They definitely boinked._ " They both said.

" **WE DID NOT BOINK!** "

" _If you say so…_ _ ***giggle***_ "

 _Damnit! I let myself get teased! Does being with Lidelle make me more sensitive?_

"Anyway…I think we've gotten a lot more comfortable together. I think we can call it a wrap, right?" I asked Lidelle.

"Fine with me." Lidelle said with a smile.

 _So cute!_

"Oh, yeah. Ally, this came in the mail for you." Ami said while handing me a letter.

" _ **Ooh!**_ It's been a while since I got mail! Wonder what it is!"

I excitedly opened the letter and read what it said, only to be highly let down and somewhat agitated.

"Ah, damnit!"

"What?" Ami asked.

"Rafisol's coming over."

"Rafisol? Oh wow! I haven't seen her in a long time! It'll be great to see her again!"

"Maybe for you, Ami. Me, not so much."

"You still haven't gotten over that?"

"How could I, Ami?! I'm inferior to her in every way!"

"But you're the only one who thinks that!"

"Still counts!"

While we sat there and argued, the rest of the girls watched on with confused looks on their faces.

"Uh, guys. Who's Rafisol?" Lidelle asked.

"Tell them, Ally."

"B-But Ami…"

" **Just do it!** "

" _ **Fine.**_ "

It took me a while for me to do this. I really didn't want to, but if I didn't. Ami would. And she has no problem with it.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. Rafisol's my twin sister."

"T- **Twin sister?!** " The other asked in shock.

" _Surprise._ " I said sarcastically.

"Ally, why did you never bring this up?" Lidelle asked.

"Ally has this bit of rivalry with her sister."

"Rivalry? You mean like what Peruvis and I had?" Raffina asked.

"No, not really. It's more complex than that. And stupider."

" **It's not stupid!** "

"Yes, Ally. It is."

"What's she like, Ally?" Arle asked.

"Here. I have a picture of her on my phone."

I pulled up a picture of Rafisol and I that was taken before I moved here and showed it to everyone. Ami already knows her, so she didn't look. The other girls, however…once they saw the picture, they were more confused and creeped out than amazed.

"U-Uh…Ally. Wh-Why is your sister…fl-floating?" Peruvis asked.

"That's because she doesn't have a soul."

…

…

…

"She… **SHE DOESN'T HAVE A SOUL?!** " The others shouted again.

"Nope. Completely born without one."

" **H-How the hell does that even happen?!** " Raffina asked.

"It's a rare birth defect. Doesn't happen all that often."

"It's true." Feli added. "I read it in a book once. The chance of someone being born without a soul is 1 in every sextillion."

"Sextillion?"

"1 followed by 21 zeros."

"Th-There's a number _**THAT**_ big?!" Arle asked.

"Yep. It's the biggest place value with a name. But there could be ones even bigger than that."

"D-Damn." Raffina said.

"And my sister just _**HAD**_ to be the one." I said.

"Ally…normally people would feel sorry for someone without a soul. Not hate them." Lidelle said.

"I don't hate Rafisol! She's my sister! I'll always love her! It's just…" I went dead silent.

"It's just what?"

"Well…people without a soul gain these special powers in its place. And when Rafisol got hers, she became the center of attention."

"I see. So, you're jealous of her popularity." Raffina said.

"Not just that. But I've always wanted powers like that. And since she got them, I thought it would be a matter of time since we're twins. But then I learned about that stupid soulless defect. And now, I have to wallow in jealous anger while Rafisol gets to do all of these powerful magic tricks."

"How powerful are they?" Peruvis asked.

"She can spawn all these energy spheres, mini-tornados, and electro-balls. And I wasn't able to do a damn thing. It's so unfair!"

"Well, what about that star trick you got from the Rubelcrack?" Ami asked.

"Star trick?" Feli asked.

"Rubelcrack?" Peruvis asked.

"Oh, right. When we first met Arle, she brought along this gem that belonged to a dear friend of hers. Raffina made it into a necklace for her. But after that, it did some stuff and…well…affected us in different ways."

"It gave Ami telekinesis, Ally magical powers, and it cloned me." Raffina added.

"Seriously? Wait, was that the reason why there was a second you at the festival?" Peruvis asked.

"Yep. Pretty much."

"Damn. So cool."

"What about Lidelle?" Feli asked.

"It didn't affect me because I'm the Demonic Princess." Lidelle said.

"Wait, it didn't affect you?!" Ami, Raffina, and I asked.

" **You're the Demonic Princess?!** " Peruvis and Feli asked.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I forgot to say that, huh?"

" **No ****, Sherlock!** " The five of us yelled.

"Guys, we're getting off-topic here." Arle said.

"Right, right." Ami said. "Show them the star trick, Ally."

"Okay, one. It's called Emission." I said while sounding annoyed about my magic spell being referred to as "the star trick". "And two…I've got an even better one to show off."

"Wait, you got another one?" Arle asked.

"It just came to me a few days ago. Been practicing in secret until I mastered it."

"I see…"

I took a deep breath and held my right hand up in an open palm gesture.

" **Love Shine!** "

Then a heart-shaped energy sphere appeared in my hand.

" **WHOA!** " Everyone sounded amazed.

" **That's so freaking cool, Ally!** " Ami cheered.

"Right? But, apparently…that's not all it does."

" **There's more?! Show us, please!** " Lidelle said while staring into my eyes with excitement.

 _Seriously! So cute!_

I looked around to see what I could use for an example. I only had two options. So, I went with the one sitting across from me.

"Sorry, Peruvis."

"Wait, what? What do you mea-

Before Peruvis could finish her question, I threw the heart at her, causing her to fall back to the floor.

" **A-Ally! Wh-What you that for?!** " Raffina asked.

"Just watch."

"Huh?"

Just then, Peruvis got back up and sat on her legs in a somewhat spacey state.

"Hey, Peruvis. You okay?" Feli asked.

Peruvis didn't answer and looked around the room. Staring at each of us for no more than 7-8 seconds.

" _Hey…everyone…"_

Everyone was starting to get worried. Well…everyone besides me, of course.

"Yeah, Peruvis? What is it?" Raffina asked.

…

…

…

" _ **LET'S! GET! SEXY!**_ " Peruvis cheered.

 _And…_ a WTF kind of reaction is coming up in…

3…

2…

1…

" **WHAT THE ****?!** "

See? I told you.

" _ **Come on, guys! Let's all get lovey-dovey together! Hahahaha!**_ "

" **P-Peruvis! Wh-What the hell are you saying?!** " Arle panicked.

" _R-Raffina! Y-Your friend is scaring me!_ " Feli whined while hiding behind Raffina.

" **COME TO YOUR SENSES, GIRL!** " Raffina shouted while shaking Peruvis, in an attempt to snap her out of it.

" _Hey, guys. Do you feel hot? I feel hot. Imma gonna take this off…_ "

Peruvis then proceeded to lift her shirt up in an attempt to take it off. To the point where we could see her blue and white bra.

 ***Multiple panicked screams***

" **Ally! Do something!** " Ami yelled at me.

"Well…it kinda has to wear off on its own."

" **NOW YOU TELL US?!** " The girls yelled.

"Hold on, I got it." Phoenix said as he came out of Peruvis' partially exposed back and went around to face her derpy face. He then slapped the derpy face and she went back to normal after a few seconds.

" _What…_ Wh-What the?! **Wh-Why was I trying to take my shirt off?!** " She looked highly embarrassed when she realized what she was trying to do.

"You were under Ally's spell." Phoenix said.

"H-Her spell?!"

"Yep. That's what it does." I explained. "With this spell, I have the ability to manipulate other people's romantic feelings. Making them fall in love with whoever they see."

" _W-Woah…_ " Everyone said.

"And compare to what Rafisol has, it sucks, right?"

" **Sucks?! Ally, that spell is amazing! If not dangerous!** " Arle shouted.

"How is it amazing?! Rafisol can do all these badass spells while I'm stuck manipulating people's hearts! **I wanna be a badass, too!** "

" _Really?_ " Everyone asked as they all gained a sweatdrop. "Being a badass is better than heart manipulation?"

"W-Well…y-you just don't know what I've been through as a child! If I would've gotten these powers when I was younger, then I wouldn't be as angry as I am now! Rafisol had it lucky back then and I was only known as "the other one"! **So freaking unfair!** "

And then I began to pout in anger. As I was doing that, I felt Lidelle hugging me tightly around my waist. Which made me blush like crazy.

"L-Lidelle?! Wh-What are you…"

"Idiot."

"Huh?! How am I an idiot?!"

"Because you let the intense jealousy of your sister blind you from seeing how special you truly are. What you have now and not letting go of what happened in the past. And that's not the Ally I fell in love with."

 _That's not the Ally I fell in love with…_

Those words hit me hard…like I was shot in the heart with a gun. Lidelle was right, I truly am a special person. I've got tons of friends, a girlfriend I truly love, freaking magical powers, and most importantly…a twin sister that I can finally relate to.

But I really was blinded. Blinded by jealousy. For literally no reason other to be the same as Rafisol. But Lidelle managed to open my eyes, and made me realize that I'm just as amazing too. In my own special way.

This, and many other reasons…is why I love her.

I returned Lidelle's hug by wrapping my arms around her waist as tight as she was doing to me. And we eventually shared a kiss together as well.

"Well, do you finally get it now, Ally?" She asked.

"Yes, Lidelle. I get it. Thanks for setting me straight."

"Well, I'm glad I was able to help…idiot."

"What? You mean after all that, I'm still an idiot?"

"Well, no. It's just I like seeing you react to it."

"Oh, screw you, Rita."

" **D-Don't call me Rita! It's bad enough Chu calls me that!** "

" _Sorry._ It's just so fun." I teased.

"Screw you." Lidelle pouted in a cute way.

 _That has to be the cutest she's been today…_

We then heard Ami's phone ring. It sounded like Melody was on the other line.

"Yeah, Mom? _***sigh***_ _Yes, I saw the message you left me._ It was **NOT** funny! Whatever. Yeah, Ally's home. I gave her the letter, too. Wait, what? That's **today**?! You're almost **here**?! Geez, Mom! Way to tell us at the last minute! _***sigh***_ Okay, we'll meet you outside. Bye." She then hung up the phone.

"What did Melody say, Ami?" Raffina asked.

"Um, well…Ally…apparently, Mom went to go pick up Rafisol from the train station. There a few minutes away."

"Oh, okay then." I said.

It took me a while to realize what she had told me. I was treating it like a regular conversation.

But it wasn't.

" **W-Wait, what?! Sh-She's coming TODAY?!** " I shouted.

"Apparently, that letter came last week. You can blame Mom for forgetting to tell us."

" _Damnit, Melody..._ " I said while facepalming my head.

"Well, at least we get to meet your twin sister." Raffina claimed.

"Yeah, I'm curious too." Peruvis added. "Though, I'm still pissed about being under your spell earlier."

" _Hehhehheh._ Sorry about that." I said while rubbing the back of my head.

"I want to meet her, too. Maybe she can teach me some of her own spells." Arle said.

"A soulless entity…I could use such power for my charms. And with Ally's heart manipulation power along with it… **ALL OF LEMRES' LOVE WILL BE MINE!** _ **FUFUFUFUFUFU!**_ "

"Feli…" Raffina nudged her on the shoulder.

" _R-Right. Sorry._ "

"So, you all want to meet her, huh?" I asked. Everyone nodded yes and that made me accept it.

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright. Let's go."

* * *

We all went outside the house and waited not too long for Melody to pull up in the driveway. She then came out with a smug-like look as if she couldn't hold her excitement.

Which makes me think of the possibility that she never brought it up on purpose.

…

I'm not surprised if that's the case.

" _Hey, Ally. Look who I brought…_ " She said.

Immediately afterward, the front passenger door opened and revealed the one person I haven't seen in the past couple of months. Wearing a purple jacket with a light-blue t-shirt underneath, dark grey shorts, and sneakers with a mix of white & purple, I knew it was her.

She was never good with matching clothes.

It's been a while since I've seen her light-blue hair and her crimson-red eyes. I nearly cried when I saw her. But I held my tears in. I wasn't going to submit to my emotions with my twin sister standing there.

Well…floated. But you get the idea.

"Hey, Rafisol. Long time no see." I greeted her.

Rafisol stared at me for a second. Then she grew a small smile on her face.

" _Onee-chan._ " She said with an emotionless tone.

"Onee-chan?" Five of the six girls behind me repeated.

"Geez, Sis. I keep telling you that we're the same age. You don't need to call me that."

" _But I like calling you Onee-chan, Onee-chan._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ It's okay, Sis." I said. Then I gave Rafisol a hug and she gave one back. "I'm just glad you're here."

" _Really? You're not mad at me anymore, Onee-chan?_ "

"No, Sis. I'm not. It was wrong of me to be mad at you. There's no way you could've decided to be better than me on your own. I'm sorry if I hurt you."

" _You could never hurt me, Onee-chan. I'll always love you._ "

"Same here, Sis."

That's when the tears started falling. I then let Rafisol go in order to wipe my face.

"Hey, Rafisol. It's good to see you again." Ami greeted her.

" _Ami._ " Rafisol said while giving her a hug. While doing so, both ended up floating a bit off the ground.

"Uh…hey, Rafisol. You can put me down now."

" _Oops. Sorry, Ami._ " Rafisol then placed Ami down and let go of her.

"Did you get taller, or are you just floating higher?"

Rafisol thought about this for a second. I guess she never really bothered to give it any thought.

" _Probably both._ "

"Ah. I see."

"Hey, Sis." I gained her attention again. "These are some of our friends. When I told them about you, they really wanted to meet you."

" _Meet me?_ "

"Yep. You've gained popularity before even showing up."

" _Wow._ " Was all she said.

"Everyone. This is Rafisol Nakano. My soulless twin sister."

"Hiya, Rafisol. I'm Arle Nadja. Nice to meet you."

Rafisol gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.

"I'm Peruvis Ryley. Half-devil. Half-tortured soul."

"100% pervert." Phoenix said.

" **What did you call me?!** "

"What? I'm only telling the truth. You know how much of a horny perv you are." Phoenix grinned at the end.

" **Damn you, you lifeless wisp!** "

As Peruvis bickered at Phoenix, Rafisol started giggling next to me. Because of her monotone, people often think her laughing is scary. But people like Ami, Melody, Ayumi, and I have gotten used to it.

" _Onee-chan. Your friend is funny._ "

"Yeah. I get that feeling sometimes myself." I replied.

"Nice to meet you, Rafisol. I'm Raffina Fielding and this is my cousin Feli Kuromi."

" _A soulless being…it's even better up close! I can sense her unlimited power! Please! You must share some with me!_ _ **SO THAT I CAN CONQUER MY TRUE LOVER'S HEART!**_ " Feli got excited again.

"Feli…" Raffina nudged her on the shoulder again.

"Huh? What?" Feli then realized that she went crazy again. "O-Oh. S-Sorry."

"Sorry about my cousin." Raffina said. "She makes charms as a hobby and can get a little carried away sometimes."

" _Charms? That's cool._ " Rafisol said.

"Really? You like charms?" Feli asked.

Rafisol gave a simple nod as an answer.

"Finally! Someone who shares my interest! I think we'll get along just fine, Rafisol. _Fufufufu._ "

"Oh, God…" Raffina facepalmed.

"Hey, Rafisol." Ami said. "Here's one more thing about Raffina. She's my girlfriend."

" _Your girlfriend? You like girls, Ami?_ "

"Yeah, I do. It's a long story on how I came to realize it."

" _Huh._ "

"And I'm not the only one either, you know."

" _Huh?_ "

Ami then looked towards me as she and Raffina gave me thumbs up of encouragement.

 _ ***sigh***_ _Here goes nothing, I guess._

I walked over to where Lidelle was at, stood next to her and held her hand.

"Hey, Sis. I'd like you to meet someone. This is Lidelle Namanari…my girlfriend."

" _Your girlfriend? Onee-chan, you're…_ "

"Yeah. I'm a lesbian."

Rafisol didn't say anything. I didn't know how she would take it, having a sister who's into girls. But then she came towards me and gave me a hug. Needless to say, I was confused.

" _It's okay, Onee-chan. I already knew._ "

" **Wait, what?! You knew?!** "

Rafisol did a small nod of confirmation.

"How?"

" _I figured so because you would often say "Let's fall in love!" to all of our female friends without a care in the world._ "

" **Th-Those were accidents, Sis!** " I started blushing out of embarrassment. " **They never meant anything like that!** "

" _Oh._ " Was all she said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Well, at least you're okay with it."

"It's nice to meet you, Rafisol." Lidelle said. "You and Ally really do look alike. Aside from your different hair and eye color, I mean."

" _It's nice to meet you too. Onee-chan's girlfriend._ "

"Uh…you can just call me Lidelle."

" _Okay. Lidelle._ "

"There are plenty of others to meet here, too. But I'm not sure if you'll see them all in time before you go back home." I said.

" _Go home?_ " Rafisol looked confused.

"You're just visiting, right?"

" _Didn't Mom tell you? I live here now._ "

" **S-Seriously?! What happened?! I-Is Mom okay?!** "

"Your mom's fine, Ally." Melody claimed. "Apparently, she had to leave Konoko for something work-related. So she asked me if I could take Rafisol in."

"I see. Well then welcome home, Sis! Let's have lots of fun together!"

" _Thank you, Onee-chan. I wish to have fun with you too._ " Rafisol then went silent for a bit. " _Oh, yeah. Mom wanted me to give you this._ "

"Huh? Really? What is it?" I asked once I got a letter from her.

" _Not sure. She said you would like it._ "

"Really now?" I opened the letter and out came a group of tickets from one of the folds. Once I read the tickets, I couldn't hold my excitement.

"Wait! Are these… **NO! WAY!** "

" **NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY, NO WAY!** "

" **What?! What is it, Ally?!** " Ami yelled.

" **Ami! I got'em! I finally got'em!** "

" **Got what?!** "

" **Tickets to G3! They're finally mine!** "

"T-Tickets…" Lidelle said.

"T-To G3…" Peruvis said.

" **ARE YOU SERIOUS?!** " They both then yelled out in pure excitement.

" **I'm so dead serious!** "

"What the hell is G3?"

" ***gasp* How DARE you ask such a horrible question?!** " The three of us asked Raffina.

"Seriously?"

"G3 stands for Games & Gadgets Galore. It's an event held every year to debut all the new video games, gaming consoles, smartphones, computers, and all that other stuff." Ami explained.

"Oh, wow." Arle said.

"Sounds like a mess."

" **It's not a mess!** " The three of us yelled at Raffina again. Making her annoyed in the process.

"Aren't tickets for that event super expensive unless you're a video game reviewer? How the hell did you get five of them?" Feli asked.

"Huh?" I counted the tickets and realized that there actually were five tickets. Which blew my mind even more. "No way! There **ARE** five tickets! Sis! How did Mom pay for these?!"

" _Dunno. I never knew what was in there._ "

"Oh, my God! I can't believe I have them in my hands at long last! This is truly the best day of my life!"

" _Hey…_ " Lidelle and Rafisol said.

"W-Well, besides you two. You know what I mean."

"Congratulations, Ally." Melody said. "You must be really happy."

"Happy?! Happy is a **HUGE** understatement! I gotta call Mom and thank her! Come on, Rafisol!"

" _Okay, Onee-chan._ " Rafisol said as she followed me inside.

* * *

Once I had calmed down a bit (before and after calling my mom to thank her for the tickets), we all went inside the house and showed Rafisol around…which wasn't much. Since we don't usually leave the living room because of not having any furniture. We really need to get some soon. I can't stand sleeping on the floor anymore.

Later in the day, everyone went home. And while Melody went to go get dinner (something **other** than instant ramen), Ami, Arle, Rafisol and I decided to take a bath together to save time and water.

" _ ***whine***_ _Onee-chan! It's too soapy!_ " Rafisol whined while I was washing her hair.

"Quit whining, Sis. You know that we gotta be smelling good for when we go to G3."

" _Yeah, but it's gonna get in my eye!_ "

"Then I'll wipe it when we get out. Now keep still!"

" _ ***whine***_ "

"Ally, calm down." Ami said. "G3 isn't until two weeks from now."

"Just being prepared, Ami. Why do you even care, anyway? You're not even going."

"I know. I'm just saying to cool it a little. You're making it a big deal."

"Hmph. And as if you don't get excited whenever that magical girl show of yours gets a new season. Hypocrite."

" **I-I am not a hypocrite!** "

" _Onee-chan! My eye!_ "

"Alright, Sis. I got it." I said as I rubbed Rafisol's eye with a towel. "There. Got it."

" _Thank you, Onee-chan._ "

"Wow. You really are a big sister aren't you, Ally?" Arle asked me while watching the whole thing.

"Well, one of us has to."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see…Rafisol's not that… _aware_ …of her surroundings. It's basically why she relies on Ally a lot." Ami explained.

"Hence why she calls me Onee-chan." I added.

"I see. Well, it's a cute nickname."

"It may be cute, but she's gonna have to tone it down a bit once we start school, okay Sis?"

" _Okay, Onee-chan._ "

"Oh, yeah. School is coming up, isn't it?" Ami asked. "I can't believe we're going to be high schoolers."

"I know right? So exciting!"

"Gee, you guys are lucky. I wish I could go to high school." Arle said.

"What do you mean, Arle? You're 16, right?"

"Yeah, but I kinda skipped a few grades. And it wasn't because of good scores either."

"How many did you skip?" Ami asked.

Arle thought about it for a moment. She dipped her hands in the bathwater, making us assume she was using them to count how many.

"Like…9 of them."

…

…

…

"Arle… **You skipped NINE grades?!** " Ami shouted.

" **How the hell did you managed to do that?!** " I asked, just as shocked as Ami. Rafisol was shocked too. But if you looked at her face right now, you wouldn't be able to tell.

"Well…back in my world, I had to deal with a bunch of crazy things. They all started when I was in kindergarten. And they became so frequent, that I never got the chance to go back to school."

" _Wow…since kindergarten?_ " Rafisol asked.

"That sucks." I said.

"Yeah. It does. And I've heard that high school's the best three years of your school life. But I don't think I could go with all the time I've missed."

"Well…maybe we can ask Ms. Accord for some help." Ami suggested.

"Ms. Accord? Who's that again?"

"The blue-haired lady from the festival. Carries the talking cat puppet with her." I said.

"She's friends with my mom and used to be our teacher." Ami added.

"Oh yeah. I remember. Can she really help?"

"Sure she can! She wouldn't let her favorite students down!"

"Weren't we her _**only**_ students?" I asked.

"Well…yeah. But my point is she'll definitely help us out! We can go see her tomorrow."

"Really?! Thanks, Amitie! That really makes me happy!" Arle cheered.

"No problem, Arle. We are friends, after all."

"That's true, Ami." I said. Then an idea hit me in the head like I was slapped in the back of it with a dead tuna fish for comedic purposes.

…

It's funnier if you saw it yourself.

"Hey, guys! We all should do something together before school starts! It'll be like one last summer fling to end off our vacation!"

"That's a great idea, Ally!" Ami cheered.

"Yeah, I'm in too!" Arle added. "But…where should we go?"

"Huh. Good question. I really can't think of anything."

"Maybe we can ask the others for their opinion. They might have good ideas."

"Good point, Arle." I said. "But…"

"But what?"

"But…it'll have to be after my glorious day at G3!"

"Are we going to hear about you talking about G3 all night?" Ami asked.

"Yep! Better get used to it, girls!"

" _Woohoo._ " Both said sarcastically.

Around the time we all came out of the bathroom, Melody had come back with a couple of boxes of pizza. We ate some while watching a movie on Melody's computer, which Rafisol somehow managed to put the screen on the wall so we wouldn't have to crouch around each other to see.

When I asked how she did that, she said she really didn't know. I just happened to hear about it one time and she remembered it just like that.

Classic Rafisol.

I don't remember finishing the movie. Maybe it's because I fell asleep mid-way through. But what I do remember is waking up in the middle of the night to see Rafisol sleeping in my futon with me. She has her own…but even back home, she tends to climb into my bed in the middle of the night.

Normally, I'll be waking her up to tell her to go back to her own bed. But this time I decided to let this one sly. We haven't seen each other for a long time and I bet she just wants to be near me more.

Again. Classic Rafisol.

I wrapped the covers over her more and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek when she started moving a bit.

" _Onee-chan. I love you._ " She mumbled in her sleep.

I giggled a bit before lying back down in my futon and pulling the covers over me and resting my head on my pillow.

" _Onee-chan loves you too, Sis._ " I whispered to myself before closing my eyes and going back to sleep.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **I originally wanted to wait until the final part of English Chronicles went up to get a good understanding of Rafisol. But I decided to go ahead with it anyway. I was completely off with Ally when I first wrote this story (then again, there was no way to check at the time). And then once I became aware of Puyo Nexus existing, I kinda kept Rafisol's original personality but with a few tweaks for the story. There was going to be little to no change with these two. So, I guess I waited for nothing.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	45. Ms Accord's Surprise Summer Exam

**Chapter 45 – Ms. Accord's Surprise Summer Exam**

 **Arle's POV**

Just like how Amitie promised, the next day we went to her and Ally's old school to ask their old teacher if she could help me get into high school. The building itself was just as weird-looking as the others, but it was much bigger. As you would expect from a school building.

"So this is your old school, huh guys? It's pretty big."

"Well, not really." Amitie said. "It may look big on the outside, but it's actually quite small on the inside."

"Huh."

" _Onee-chan. This is the school you went to?_ " Rafisol asked Ally.

"Yeah, but I was only here for like a month or so. It was near the end of the year when I transferred here."

" _Wow. Onee-chan's school…_ " Rafisol looked as amazed as if she saw a shooting star in the sky.

"I-It's not _**that**_ amazing, Sis." Ally said while resting her hand on Rafisol's shoulder.

"So you sure Ms. Accord can help me, Amitie?"

"Arle. Quit worrying. I told you, Ms. Accord would find a way. Even in a situation like yours."

"Well okay, but…"

"Hey. Guys."

I was interrupted when heard a voice call out to us. We then saw Raffina, Feli, and Raina heading towards us.

"Raffi!" Amitie cheered as she rushed over to her girlfriend. The two then shared a quick hug and a kiss. "What are you doing here?"

"I have to register Raina and transfer Feli for the school year. I was told that Ms. Accord can help us so we came here. What about you?"

"The same for Rafisol. And Arle, too."

"Really? You're coming to high school with us, Arle?" Raffina then asked me.

"Yeah. If I'm truly stuck here, then I might as well live a normal life again. Something I haven't done in a while."

"In a…while?"

"W-Well, you see…"

" _Wow…this place. I remember having so much fun here!_ "

"You were never here." Raffina said to Raina.

" _Yeah, I was. I remember everything clearly. Like the time I hid Klug's glasses and he was never able to find them._ "

"Like I said, you were never here. I did that, you moron."

"You did what now?" Klug asked as he and Peruvis were standing behind the two Raffinas.

" **Gah! K-Klug!** W-Well, that was during the time we hated each other's guts, you know? I-I would **NEVER** do such a thing nowadays. _Hehhehhehheh._ "

"Right…" I can tell that Klug was a little pissed at that. Though, I didn't know that he and Raffina once hated each other.

 _What made them become friends?_

"A-Anyway…what are you two doing here?"

"I have to help Peruvis with her transfer papers. Apparently, you need someone to co-sign the papers."

"I see."

"I still don't see why I can't just use Phoenix for this." Peruvis said.

"Look, Peruvis. For the last time, it has to be a human! Phoenix doesn't count because he's a soul!"

"Why you gotta discriminate against souls huh, Klug?" Phoenix asked as he came out of Peruvis' back. "You saying humans are better or something?"

"I-I'm not discriminating! It's just the rules! And furthermore, why are you siding with Peruvis?"

"I'm not. I just wanted to push your buttons a little."

"Well, _congratulations_." Klug said in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, everyone."

Our original group of four turned to see Lidelle, her cousin Ringo, Rulue and Harpy heading towards us…

 _Wait, why are Rulue and Harpy here?_

"Geez, there you guys are." Ally said. "I understand your house is far, Lidelle, but you still took forever."

"Well, _**sorry**_. You're the one who wanted Harpy here for some reason. It took me forever to find her."

 _Ally_ _ **WANTED**_ _Harpy here? For what?_

" **ALLY!** "

" **HARPY!** "

The two greeted each as they always did and, just like last time, they managed to start going too high to the point Amitie had to pull them down.

 _These two really are good friends, huh?_

"I'm really glad to see you, Ally! You too, Al-

Harpy suddenly stopped talking once she saw Ally and Rafisol standing next each other.

" **W-WAIT, WHAT?! TH-THERE ARE TWO ALLY'S?! I'M SO CONFUSED! MY HEAD HURTS!** _ **OUCHIE!**_ "

"H-Harpy, calm down! I can explain!" Ally said, trying to calm her down. Once she did, she continued. "This is my twin sister, Rafisol. She just moved here yesterday."

" _Oh._ I get it now! Nice to meet ya! Name's Harpy!"

Rafisol starred at Harpy a bit before answering.

" _You're Onee-chan's friend as well?_ "

"Who's Onee-chan?"

"That's a nickname she calls me because we're sisters."

" _Oh._ Well, then yes. I'm Ally's best friend!"

" _I see. Can you be my best friend, too?_ "

"Sure! You can never have more than one best friend!"

" _I'm glad. Thank you…Harpy-oneechan._ "

"J-Just Harpy is fine, Sis." Ally said while resting her hand on her sister's shoulder again.

"Huh. I didn't think you had a twin sister, Ally." Klug said.

"Yeah, it was a surprise to pretty much everyone. Along with the fact that Rafisol doesn't have a soul."

"Uh…what?"

"It's a long story." Amitie explained.

"I see."

"So this is your old school, huh Lidelle?" Ringo asked.

"It's pretty big. Despite there being only a few students." Rulue said.

"It may look big, but it really isn't."

"Huh." Both girls said.

"So what made you want to tag along, Rulue?" I asked.

"I just wanted to see Harmony."

"Harmony?"

"Ms. Accord's first name." Amitie explained.

"Oh."

"And if I had to guess why you're here…you want to be a high school student, don't you?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I can finally go back to school now that I don't have anything else to do."

"Geez. You're lucky, Arle. Skipping 9 years of school. Your world must be crazy as hell!" Peruvis said.

"Trust me, Peruvis. You don't know the half of it."

"W-Wait, what? **NINE** years of school?!" Some of the others asked.

"The world we came from is not normal."

"I-I see…"

"Well, since everyone's here, let's go inside together." Amitie said.

"Come on, you two. I'll give you both a tour of the whole place." Ally said to Harpy and Rafisol.

"Yay! I get to see Ally's school!"

" _Yay! I get to see Onee-chan's school!_ "

 _Oh, yeah. This will be the first time I've stepped foot into a school since kindergarten. I hope I can handle it._

* * *

We all entered the school walked down the hallways to the office Ms. Accord was supposed to be in. And for the five people who've been here (six, if you count Raina), it was like a trip down memory lane. They kept reminiscing all the fun times they had here.

"Remember that time where we tried to make that cake for the school fair?" Amitie asked.

"Oh, yeah. That didn't end well." Raffina said.

"What are you talking about, Raffina? I had a great time making it!" Ally cheered.

"Ally…cakes aren't supposed to explode." Lidelle retorted.

"You put _**way**_ too must yeast in it." Raffina claimed.

"Well, I was growing impatient with how Klug was getting the ingredient amounts."

"Hey! You need precise amounts to make a cake. I was almost done when you decided to just dump everything in the bowl." Klug said.

"Okay, fine. I admit. I should've waited a bit more. But it was still fun on my end."

" _Plus, that floor cake was super yummy!_ " Raina cheered.

"Floor cake?" Amitie, Lidelle, Ally, and Klug turned to Raffina with shocked looks.

" _ ***sigh***_ It's really irritating that you share my memories sometimes." Raffina said to her clone in an annoyed tone.

"Point is, I really miss this place." Amitie said.

"Same here." The others agreed.

After a while, I was starting to get annoyed by it, or it was maybe jealousy. One of the two. The point is, I didn't want to hear it anymore and needed a way to get out of it. That's when I thought of something.

"Hey, guys. Where's the restroom? I really have to go."

"Oh, it's down that hall then make a left." Raffina said.

"Okay, thanks."

"We'll wait for you here, Arle." Amitie said.

"Alright."

As I walked down the long hallway, I looked at the walls that I was passing by. There were tons of photos of the students who went to this school. Some of Amitie, Raffina, Lidelle, Klug, and Ally as a group. Some by themselves, and some with certain pairs. But there was a specific picture that caught my eye. It was a big one with all five of them, a couple of teachers, and a bunch of other students.

"Oh. This must be the End of Year photo."

I took a big long look at it. They all looked so happy, despite it being their last day. It looked so much fun…being around your friends and teachers during the last few days before leaving the one place you've gained so many memories from.

…

…

…

 _Wow, that sounded depressing. I gonna continue walking before I start to cry._

Once I continued walking down the hallway, I found the area where Raffina told me to turn left at. I didn't really have to use the restroom, but I might as well continue to look around this place.

As I turned the corner, still lost in my own thought of how amazing school life must've been, I ended up bumping into someone.

"Gah. S-Sorry. I wasn't paying attention and…"

"Arle?"

"Sig? What are you doing here?"

"I heard that I can come here to register Chu and I for the school year."

"You don't say? I'm here for the same reason."

"Really?"

"Amitie told me that her old teacher can help me with a little problem I have."

"What kind of problem?"

" _Well…_ "

Just then, I heard a flushing sound coming from the room behind Sig. The door to said room opened and out came Chu, drying her hands on her grey tank top.

"I'm finished, Shigu."

"Hey, Chu." I greeted her.

"Aruru!" Chu ran up to me and gave me a big hug. She been doing that a lot lately. Not sure why, but it doesn't really bother me that much.

"So you're starting school too huh, Chu?"

"Yep! I'm so excited to be in the same school as Shigu!"

"The same school? Sig, you're 16, right?"

"Yeah." He answered.

"So you and Chu are starting high school? I thought Chu was 10."

"She is. But she has a pretty high IQ. When she completed 4th grade, the school officials agreed that she's smart enough to go straight to high school."

"Woah…that's amazing, Chu! Good for you!"

"Thank you, Aruru."

"You know, in a way…I skipped a couple of grades myself."

"Really? How?"

"Well…I kinda had to stop a bunch of crazy monsters from causing havoc in my world…when I was 6."

" **S-Six?!** " Sig reacted.

"Yeah, my world is not normal at all. It was such a constant thing, that I never went back to school after kindergarten."

"Since _**kindergarten?!**_ "

"Yeah. Pretty much. And so when Amitie told me that her teacher may be able to help me, I got really excited. But as I walked down these halls, hearing how she and the others had a fun time here and seeing pictures to prove it…it made me realize that pretty much my whole childhood was taken away from me because of a bunch of crazy freaks. I really want my school girl life back, you know?" I starting crying a little from telling that story of my past.

Sig didn't say anything. He just stared at me with that emotionless look on his face. I thought he had fallen asleep with his eyes open again. I was about to shake him in an attempt to wake him up, when…out of nowhere…he…he hugged me.

My face immediately started turning red from embarrassment as I felt his body touching mine, his arms around my waist, and his head next to mine.

" **S-S-Sig! Wh-Wh-What are you…** "

"Arle...It's okay."

It was all he said. But for some reason, those three words hit me in the gut hard like someone had punched it. I felt my heart beating like crazy, almost like I was having a heart attack. Tears kept running down my face…but they weren't tears of sorrow. Instead, they were…tears of happiness. I was completely happy right now. I've never felt this happy since the whole Dimensional Mirror thing. And it was all thanks to Sig. Being with him right here right now really made me happy. It gave me this new feeling for him. It's a weird one, but…I also like it. I like it a lot.

 _Could this what the others meant by me…noticing it?_

"O-Okay, S-Sig. I-I feel better now."

"O-Oh. O-Okay."

Sig let me go and as I looked at him, I saw that his face was all red too. Did he get the same weird new feeling as I did? It would be great if he did. It'll be another thing we have in common.

A weird one. But I guess it would still count.

"I-I'm glad…y-you're feeling better…A-Arle."

"Y-Yeah. Th-Thanks for that…S-Sig."

…

…

…

The atmosphere went silent for a while.

…

…

…

A _**good**_ & _**long**_ while.

…

…

…

 _So awkward._

"Uh…Shigu. Aruru."

 _H-Holy crap! I completely forgot Chu was here! I hope she didn't notice my weird new feeling!_

"Y-Yeah, Chu?" We both asked.

"We're going to be late."

"Oh, yeah. We have to see if we could get registered." Sig said.

" _Right._ I kinda left the others hanging for a while. They're probably going to be mad at me."

"Hey, can we come and ask them? We don't know the layout of this school."

" **Sure!** " I shouted elatedly, but then managed to calm down. "I-I mean okay. Hopefully, they'll understand a bit more once they see you guys."

"Aruru."

"Yeah, Chu? What's up?"

"Can you not tell the others how smart I am? At least not yet?"

"Not yet?" I got confused.

"Chu wants to reveal her high intelligence as a surprise to everyone else." Sig explained.

"I see. I didn't know you were so devious, Chu."

"Yeah. She's a sneaky little sister."

Chu giggled to herself as her brother rubbed her hair.

"Alright. I think we've kept them waiting long enough. Let's get going."

"Right. Come on, Chu."

"Chu!"

We went back the way I came from and met up with the others. And just as I predicted, they were pretty upset.

" **Geez, Arle! What took you so long?!** " Amitie asked.

" **Did you had to go that badly?!** " Raffina asked.

"W-Well, to be honest…no."

" **Arle!** "

"I'm sorry! It's just…well…" I didn't know how to explain it. I mean, I can't just tell them that I found their school memories annoying as hell and got me jealous. But I kinda don't want to tell them what happened between me and Sig just few minutes ago.

 _ **What do I say?!**_

"She's had it rough." Sig said, finally catching up to me. Chu was right beside him holding his hand.

"Huh? Sig and Chu?" Amitie said.

"Hey, everyone."

"Hey there, uh…" Chu only acknowledged the people whose names she "remembered".

"…Amytee, Waffine, Rita, Ally, Harpy, Peridi, Ringo."

" _Amytee?_ " Rafisol asked.

"Waffine?" Feli asked.

"Rita?" Rulue asked.

"Peridi?" Klug asked.

"Chu has a hard time with names." I explained. "She remembers a slight variant of people's names."

" **And we hate those names SO much!** " Three of the four girls said.

"You guys are overreacting." Peruvis and I said.

"You two are only saying that because you got used to the names she gave you!" Lidelle whined.

"Which by the way, how?!" Raffina asked.

"Easy. I've dealt with Chu calling me that since she learned to talk." Peruvis said.

"And I just don't let it bother me that much." I added.

" _So freaking lucky…_ " The trio whined.

"Anyway, what are you two doing here?" Peruvis asked the Duranné siblings.

"Need to register for school." Sig answered.

"You _**and**_ Chu." Lidelle asked.

"Yeah. We just don't know where to go."

"Well, you guys can tag along with us. We were on our way to visit someone who could help us." Ally said.

"Okay, sure."

As we made our way to this office, I walked next to Sig…and was blushing during the whole walk there. I kept trying to get a good look at him, but I struggled extensively because every time I moved my head an inch towards him, my blushed face would get darker. But I did manage to glare my eyes at him…and saw that Sig was blushing as well. I've rarely seen him blush since the day we've met. I…actually find it cute. Then again, everything about him is cute…

…

…

 _Wait, what am I saying?! Do I really mean that?!_

…

…

… _Yeah. I kinda do._

* * *

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Yes? Come in."

" **HI, MS. ACCORD!** " The five ex-students cheered (again. Six, if you count Raina).

"Oh my! This is a surprise! Come in, everyone!"

We all entered the surprisingly space-ish office, with Amitie and Lidelle running up to hug Ms. Accord.

"It's really good to see you, Ms. Accord!" Amitie cheered.

"We really miss you, Teacher!" Lidelle cheered with her.

" _ ***giggle***_ It's nice to see you kiddies again, too."

"Geez, Ami. You're so excited to see Harmony that you didn't even acknowledge your own mother."

"Huh? Mom, what are you doing here?"

"Harmony wanted to see my light novel once it got published, so I managed to get a copy before it went on sale."

"I see… **Wait, your book got published?!** "

"Yep! You're now looking at an official author!"

"And I have to admit, Melody. This is a really good book." Ms. Accord added.

"Thanks, Harm! Hey, Rulue! _Wanna read my masterpiece?_ "

"Well, it depends." Rulue said. "It isn't that magical girl crap you wrote during high school, is it?"

" **Tch!** " All of a sudden, Melody froze up a bit.

"Oh, yeah. You did use to write that stuff all throughout high school."

"Whoa. Mom, you like magical girls?" Amitie asked.

"W-Well…I used to." Melody was rubbing the back of her head from a little embarrassment. "But I grew out of it."

" _Aw._ Too cute!"

"Shut it, Ami!"

"Fine, fine."

"So, what brings you all here?" Ms. Accord asked.

"Well, we have to sign up a bunch of new people for the upcoming school year, and we were hoping you can help."

"I see. Well, who do we got?"

"My cousin, Feli." Raffina said.

" _W-Woah…s-such power! Coming from this one woman is freaking crazy! It's overflowing my senses!_ _ **Such power could make my charms work tenfold! I could finally make myself look more mature!**_ _ **Fufufufu!**_ "

"Feli…calm down."

"Wow. What a weird, cute little loli." Melody said.

" _I'm not a loli!"_ Feli whined.

"Really? But you look a lot like one."

" _But I'm not a loli!_ "

"She's not a loli, Melody. She really hates being called that." Raffina explained.

"Oh, I see. Well, okay then. Not gonna push it anymore."

" _Th-Thanks, Raffina._ " Feli said.

" _ ***giggle***_ Well, it's nice to meet you, Feli." Ms. Accord said.

" _Y-Yeah._ _S-Same to you._ "

"So, Klug. I see you brought Peruvis with you. Is she planning to stay in school this time?"

"This time?" Amitie asked.

"Yeah…I kinda dropped out of school because I went to tour the world with a rock band I was in." Peruvis explained.

"What?" Most of us (including myself) asked.

"I don't get it, either. It's rather stupid." Klug said.

"I don't need you judgment, Bro." Peruvis said to him. "Anyway…yes, Ms. Accord. I plan to stay in school this time."

"And you'll be on your best behavior over there, right?"

" _Well…_ "

"I highly doubt that, Teach." Phoenix said as he came out of her back.

" **Shut up, Phoenix!** "

"So, you still have Phoenix, _meow_?" Popoi asked.

"Well, yeah. I am a tortured soul. So, I am stuck with him."

"What do you mean "stuck with me"?! I'm the one keeping you alive!"

"Yes…but you're also annoying."

"Hmph. Little brat."

" _Why I oughta…_ "

"This is what my mom and I go through every day." Klug said, sounding a little annoyed.

"I see." Ms. Accord said.

"Hey, Ms. Accord. This is my twin sister, Rafisol. She moved here yesterday." Ally said.

" _Woah. Onee-chan's teacher._ "

"Onee-chan?"

"It's a nickname she calls me."

"I see. Well, it's nice to meet you, Rafisol."

" _It's nice to meet you too, Onee-chan's teacher._ "

"S-Sis. Just call her Ms. Accord."

"And I see you brought Raina huh, Raffina?"

"Yeah." Raffina said. "I personally didn't want to. But Lily didn't give me a choice."

"I see."

"That's just like Lily…" Melody and Rulue said.

"Ms. Accord, you remember Arle, right? From the festival?" Amitie asked.

"Ah, yes. I do remember seeing her. You want to register as well?"

"Uh….y-yeah. B-But I have a feeling I can't."

"Why ever not? Everyone should try getting a better education."

"Well, yeah. But…"

In case you couldn't tell, I was nervous as hell at this point. I had a whole bunch of "what if" questions flowing through my head. What if there's no hope for me? What if Sig goes on without me? What if he finds someone else to be friends with? I couldn't bare having all of that happening. Especially the third one. What, with Peruvis around and all.

…

…

…

Okay, it may sound like it, but I don't hate Peruvis. I-It's…complicated.

"You see, Teacher…Arle has admitted to skipping a couple of grades." Lidelle explained.

"Really? How much?"

"U-Um…w-well…" I was still terrified.

"She skipped 9 of them. Apparently." Raffina answered for me.

"Oh, my! 9 of them?! How on earth did that happen?"

"W-Well…l-let's just say my world is not normal."

"I see. And these other three are joining, I assume?"

"Yeah. This is Sig and her sister Chu."

"Hey."

"Chu!"

"And the angel is named Harpy. She came from Arle's world too." Ally said.

"Well, nice to meet you three. It's nice that you're wanting to further your education."

"Wait, what?" Harpy sounded confused. "I never said I wanted to do this."

 _So, that's why Ally wanted Harpy here…_

"Huh?! Why not Harpy?!" Ally asked.

"This school thing sounds really hard! I don't wanna do it!"

"But don't you want to be in a classroom with me? We'll have so much fun together!"

"Really? Lots of fun?"

"Not even lots. **Tons** of fun!"

" **Tons of fun?!** "

"You bet!"

" **Will this school thing be totally tubular?!** "

"Super tubular!"

" **Then I'll do it! If it's going to be tons of fun and super tubular, then I wanna go to this school thing!** "

"Alright, Harpy!"

Ally hugged Harpy and the two, once again, floated too high to the point Rulue had to pull them down.

"So it's just these 8, right?" Ms. Accord asked.

"Yep." Amitie said. "But it's mainly Arle we're worried about."

"I see. Well, Arle. Due to your situation…"

 _Oh boy. Here it comes. The rejection._

"…there is a way you can get into high school."

 _Ah, I knew it!_

…

 _Wait, what?_

"S-Seriously?! I have a chance?!" I asked.

"Indeed. You just need to pass an exam that proves you're ready."

"A-A test?! B-But I didn't even study?!"

"Don't worry. You don't need to. This is an exam that transfer students must take. So the rest of you have to take it as well."

"And this is the only way?"

"I'm afraid so."

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ I see."

"Don't worry, Arle. You'll do fine." Amitie said to me.

"Yeah. We know you can do it." Raffina said.

"You'll pass for sure." Lidelle added.

"Th-Thanks, everyone."

"Now then. I'll just call my assistant to bring the exam over to the classroom."

"You have an assistant, Ms. Accord?" Klug asked.

"Indeed, _meow_. He was just hired yesterday." Popoi said.

"Can we meet him?" Raffina asked.

"Oh, I'm sure some of you already know him."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Amitie asked.

" _ ***giggle***_ You'll see."

* * *

As we made our way to the classroom for this exam (that I'm still worried about), Amitie, Raffina, Lidelle, Ally, and Klug were trying to figure out who Ms. Accord's new assistant was. After multiple guesses, they came up with nothing.

When we reached this classroom, Ms. Accord opened the door to reveal a big round guy standing inside. I didn't know who this guy was and neither did Ally. But the others did. Especially Lidelle, who had the biggest grin on her face.

"T… **TARUTARU!** " Lidelle shouted as she ran up to hug the guy.

"Hey, Lidelle. Nice to see you again."

"When did you get back into town?" Amitie asked.

"Yesterday, to be honest."

"Wait, so you mean…"

"Correct." Ms. Accord interrupted. "Tarutaru is my new assistant."

"But wait, doesn't he need to finish school first?" Klug asked.

"Well, there's been an exception. Since I know about these supernatural things, such as the Puyo Hats, I've been hired to help out in finding out the secrets of such things."

"Woah. That's some job." Klug sounded impressed.

"Well, we're just glad to have you back." Raffina said.

"Thanks a lot, Raffina. It's good to be back."

"Well, we can catch up on missed times later, after the exam is complete." Ms. Accord said.

"All non-test takers please leave the room, _meow._ " Popoi added.

"Come on, you." Ally had to pull Lidelle off of Tarutaru, as she was still hugging him throughout the whole conversation.

"Good luck you guys." Amitie said.

"Thanks, you guys." I said as they closed the door behind them.

"Now then." Ms. Accord continued. "This exam will test your readiness for the material you'll learn in your first year of high school. Please take your time and don't rush. Your final score will determine if you're ready to move up. Are you all ready?"

"Yep." Both Feli and Peruvis said.

"You betcha!" Harpy and Raina cheered.

"Ready." Chu said.

Rafisol did a small nod of confirmation.

I was still unsure about this. I was about to raise my hand and ask to quit when Sig tapped me on the shoulder.

"You're going to be okay, Arle?" He asked.

"Y-Yeah. I'll be okay. Thanks for asking, Sig. Let's both do our best, okay?"

"Right."

We both smiled at each other to the point where we both got embarrassed and turned away from each other.

"We're ready." We both said.

"Alright. Let's get started."

Once Ms. Accord passed out the exam, I stared at it with a focused mindset and prepared to read the first question.

 _Okay, Arle! You can do this! You can pass this test! Do it for Sig! Just calm down, breath, and focus! Now…what's the first question?_

 _ **Question 1: What's the grossest thing you've ever done underwater?**_

…

 _Uh…the grossest? Well, I guess anything that involved Suketoudara. Do they really need to know that for high school? Whatever. Next question._

 _ **Question 2: How many duck rapes should be allowed per year considering that there's no such thing as duck rape?**_

 _What?! That doesn't even make any sense! And who is out here raping ducks?! Whatever. Next question._

 _ **Question 3: If Ray-Ray come along these parts looking for me, you don't go dropping a dime. Do yous?**_

 _What the hell is with these questions?!_

I was going to raise my hand and get Ms. Accord's attention, but Peruvis beat me to it.

"Uh…Ms. Accord. What's with these questions? They seem…kinda weird."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Ms. Accord looked over the questions and just like the rest of us, she was really confused.

"What in the world?!"

Just then, the door opened and Melody popped her head inside.

"Uh…hey, Harm. You got a minute?"

"What is it, Melody?"

"Well…it's just…I think you got the wrong paper."

"I see. So, you wrote these weird questions. How on earth did you come up with these?"

"Yeah, Ally's got me watching this favorite show of hers. It's actually pretty funny."

The room went silent for a bit. I wasn't sure was everyone else was thinking, but I was kinda relieved that high school's not as messed up as these questions.

" _ ***sigh***_ Geez, Melody." Ms. Accord said.

"Sometimes I wonder how even you managed to graduate, _meow_." Popoi added.

"H-Hey!" Melody sounded insulted.

Once the real exam was given out, I felt a tad bit more confidence run inside me and I managed to start answering the questions one by one.

 _Alright! I'm doing this so Sig and I can be in high school together! I will pass this exam!_

 _Otherwise…this weird new feeling will be the death of me._

* * *

 **Sig's POV**

That test thing wasn't that hard. It was kinda easy. So Chu and I waited outside the classroom for the others to finish. I was actually surprised I got through it, though…with _**that**_ bothering me.

What I mean by that is…this weird feeling I gained just recently. Around the time I was talking to Arle about school, and she mentioned how she missed 9 years of it. She sounded really sad about it. And looked that way, too. She was even crying. I didn't like seeing her that way, so I did something without thinking…which is a common thing I do.

 _I should learn to not do that._

What I did was…I hugged her. I hugged Arle and told her it was okay. It may sound normal to most people, but with me…it wasn't that simple.

Arle's been a real good friend to me lately. And Chu once told me that she sees Arle as a big sister. I really like her…but when I hugged her at that moment in time, I felt something… _ **different**_ towards her. Like a new feeling or something.

 _Is this the "it" the others keep talking about?_

"Shigu…Shigu…"

" **Hey, Sig!** "

"H-Huh? Wh-What?"

"You okay, Sig? You were spacing out just now?" Arle asked me.

"You had me scared for a second, Shigu." Chu added.

"Oh. Sorry. I was just thinking."

"Of what?" Arle asked.

 _What do I say? I can't tell her that I was thinking of her. That's just creepy. Think, Sig! Think!_

"Uh…just some bugs that I caught earlier."

"Oh. I see." She sounded a little sad while saying that.

"You okay? Did I hurt you or something?"

"Ah, no. I'm fine, really. I-I'm just glad you are too." Arle started blushing a little after saying the last part.

"O-Oh. O-Okay then." I started blushing a little as well.

"Shigu. Aruru."

"Yeah, Chu?" I asked.

"I wanna know the results of the test."

"Why?" Arle asked. "With your high IQ, you probably got a perfect score, right?"

"She wants to see the other's reactions, remember?"

"Oh yeah. Now I remember. Alright, Chu. Let's go."

"Yay!" Chu cheered.

It took us a while to find the exit, mainly because we kept getting lost. But we did find it. And met up with everyone else, who were waiting outside for us.

"There you guys are! Did you get lost or something?" Amitie asked us.

"Well, um…yes. Multiple times. This place is just too big." Arle said.

"How did you guys get used to it?" I asked.

"Easy. We've been here most of our lives, so we got used to its size." Raffina answered.

"I see…" Both me and Arle said. We didn't really get it, but we decided not to question it anymore.

"Okay, everyone." The teacher said, heading towards us. I forgot her name...but didn't bother to ask. "I've finished grading the high school transfer exam, and I must say… all 8 of you all did very well."

"Wait… _eight_? Did Chu take one by mistake?" Ally asked.

"Teacher, you know Chu's 10, right?" Lidelle asked.

"Well, yes. But I'll explain in a second."

The others looked confused. Which, judging by Chu's small smile, is exactly what she wanted.

"For now, the results are as followed: Arle, Harpy, and Raina were tied with a 70, which is the grade you needed to pass."

"W-Wait…I…passed?" Arle sounded shocked.

"Indeed. Congratulations, Arle."

"See, Arle! We told you you'll pass!" Amitie cheered.

"Now you get to experience high school with us!" Raffina added.

"Y-Yeah! I-I do now, don't I?! **SO COOL!** "

"You hear that, Harpy? You passed! Now we can be in school together!" Ally said to her.

" **Yay! Now we can have TONS of tubular fun together! I'm super-duper excited!** "

 _Tubular?_

The two kept cheering while hugging each other until they started going up too high, and Lidelle had to pull them down.

" _Yay! I passed! I get to go to high school!_ " Raina cheered.

"Yeah, just barely." Raffina said. "If you really are a clone of me, then you should've gotten a higher score."

" _ ***whine***_ _But that test was hard!_ "

"Well, then…" Raffina said with an added elegant laugh. "…I guess I'll be tutoring you hard then! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

" _What?! No way!_ "

"Anyway…" The teacher continued. "Next is Rafisol, Feli, Peruvis, and Sig. Who were all tied with an 87."

" _Onee-chan. What does 87 mean?_ " Rafisol asked her sister.

"It means you passed, Sis."

" _Really? Yay! I get to go to school with Onee-chan!_ "

"I'm glad you're happy, Sis." Ally said while giving Rafisol a hug. Not sure how that's possible with her floating.

 _Wait, why_ _ **IS**_ _she floating?_

"Nice work, you guys." Raffina said to Feli and Peruvis.

"That test was hard, though." Feli said. "If only I knew the Google Charm. I've could've just searched for the answers!"

"No, Feli. That's cheating."

" _B-But…_ "

"No!"

" _Fine._ " Feli whined.

"An 87, huh? I could've done better if Phoenix didn't bug me the whole time." Peruvis complained.

"Hey, I was only trying to help! You looked hopeless in there!" Phoenix said, coming out of her back.

" **Hopeless?! Who are you calling hopeless, you damn ghost?!** "

"Guys. Please. Not now." Klug said.

"Fine, Klug. Whatever." Peruvis said.

"87. Not too bad, I guess." I said to myself.

"Yay, Shigu!" Chu cheered while giving me a hug.

"Thanks, Chu." I patted her on the head.

"Alright, Ms. Accord. Now tell us, what did Chu get?" Raffina asked.

"Well, based on my scoring system…Chu got a perfect score."

And just as we thought, everyone went silent with shocked looks on their faces. I could hear Chu giggling next to me, and Arle and I were trying to hold ours in.

" **A-A-A PERFECT SCORE?!** " Everyone shouted.

" **H-How did a 10-year-old get a perfect score on a high school entrance exam?!** " Lidelle asked.

Then Ms. Accord (just remembered her name) turned to us three with a grin on her face.

"Chu. You knew you didn't have to take the test, but did it anyway, right?"

"Yep." Chu said.

"She just wanted to do it for fun." I explained.

"You were right about their reactions, Chu." Arle said.

"Wait, you knew about this, Arle?" Amitie asked.

"A heads up would've been nice, you know." Ally said.

"Sorry. When I ran into them in the hall, Chu made me promise not to tell."

"Sheesh, Chu." Peruvis said. "I remember you being smart…but to this extent? That's crazy."

Chu just smiled and giggled a little.

"Wait, aren't you 10 Chu? Why did you even take the exam in the first place?" Raffina asked.

"I'm going to high school with Shigu."

" **What?!** " Everyone said.

"In fact, she's actually going to high school from the 4th grade." I added.

" **Th-The 4** **th** **grade?!** "

…

"Th-That's…pr-pretty impressive, Chu." Amitie said.

"Thanks, Amytee."

Amitie started cringing after hearing that name.

"So, Chu's just as smart as us, huh? That's something." Klug said.

"Yes, it is." Ms. Accord added. "I was especially impressed with the language part. I didn't think someone could learn that many."

"That many? Chu, how many languages can you speak?" Arle asked.

"Lots, Aruru."

"Like…"

Chu thought for a moment, then she tugged on my sleeve to get my attention.

"Kon'nichiwa! Watashi ga hiyasu koto ga dekiru basho o shitte imasu ka? Koko wa hontōni atsuidesu."

"Uh, what?" Ally asked.

"That's Japanese for: Hello! Do you know a place where I can cool off? It's really hot out here." I said.

"Whoa…"

"Ciao! Conosci un posto dove posso rinfrescarmi? Fa davvero caldo qui fuori."

"That's the same thing in Italian."

"¡Hola! ¿Conoces un lugar donde pueda refrescarme? Hace mucho calor aquí afuera."

"That's Spanish."

"Geiá sou! Xérete éna méros ópou boró na kryóso? Eínai pragmatiká zestó edó."

"That's Greek."

"Olá! Você conhece um lugar onde eu possa me refrescar? Está muito quente aqui."

"And that's Portuguese."

"Th-That's insane!" Lidelle said.

"I never thought a girl this young could know that many languages." Lidelle's cousin Ringo said.

"You really are smart, Chu! Can you teach me how to do that?" Harpy asked.

"Really, Harpy? You want to learn another language?" Arle asked her.

"Why not? It sounds totally tubular!"

" _Hey, what does tubular mean?_ " I asked Arle.

" _I have no idea._ "

"So, can you teach me, Chu?"

"Sure, Harpy. I don't mind."

" **Yay!** "

"Good for you, Harpy. Wanting to learn new languages." Arle said.

"Yeah, that's great." Raffina added. "And you'll have an easier time when we go to the high school down the road."

"Oh, yeah. We should get a quick look at it, should we?" Amitie asked.

"Yeah, we should." Lidelle agreed.

…

…

…

"Uh…kiddies…" Ms. Accord sounded rather unsure about something.

"You didn't tell them, Harm?" Amitie's mom said to her.

"I thought you did, Melody."

"You mean you **BOTH** forgot to tell them?" The other woman named Rulue asked.

"We've been busy, okay? It just slipped our minds."

"Wait…tells us what" Ally asked.

"Mom, what did you forget _**this**_ time?" Amitie asked.

"What do you mean _**this**_ _time_?" Her mom sounded insulted.

"Anyway…" Ms. Accord said. "What we meant to tell you guys is…Primp High School has been shut down."

…

…

…

" **WHAT?!** " Amitie, Raffina, Lidelle, Ally, Klug, and Peruvis shouted.

" _I don't get it._ " Raina said.

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked Arle.

"Not sure." She said.

"Hey, Chu. Do you get what's going on?" Harpy asked her.

"Not really, Harpy." Chu answered.

"Yes, guys. This is a bad thing." Lidelle said to us.

"It means that don't have a school to go to." Amitie added.

" _Oh…_ " The five of us said.

"Well…technically, you still do." Ms. Accord said.

"Huh?"

"Hey, Ringo. Remind me on what's the nearest high school from here?" Rulue asked her.

"The nearest high school from Primp? That's…oh! **OH! I GET IT NOW!** "

" _ **Ohhohoho!**_ I knew you would."

"Get what? What are you two talking about?" Lidelle asked them.

"Guys, listen. The nearest school from Primp Town is the school I'm going to."

"Wait…you mean…" Ally said.

"Yep! Suzuran High School!"

"Suzuran?! You mean we're going to the same school Melody, Ms. Accord, Lily, Yumi, and Rulue went to?!" Raffina asked.

"That's. So. **AWESOME!** " Amitie shouted.

"It that a good thing?" Arle asked me.

"Not sure." I said.

"Yes, guys. It's a good thing." Raffina said.

"You know, Raffina. I think I'm starting to see it now." Feli said.

"Yeah, me too." Peruvis added.

"S-See what?!" We both said while blushing a little.

" _Hey…they're starting to notice._ " Ally teased.

"N-Notice what?!"

" _ ***giggle***_ Don't worry, guys. You're getting closer to finding out."

Neither one of us knew what they were talking about. But when we looked at each other, we started blushing even more. And quickly turned away from each other.

" _Aw! So cute!_ " The teen girls said.

" **Sh-Shut up!** " Arle yelled.

I decided to just stay out of this.

 _Teen girls are something else, huh?_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Arle gets to go to high school! Yay! Now she can be normal! Double Yay!**

…

 **What am I doing?**

 **Anyway, this is a chapter that I didn't expect to be this long. With the same notes as before like bringing Tarutaru back. I took part of the next chapter and added it here mainly because it made sense in my eyes. In the original, it was actually two mini-chapters. Now they'll have their own separate and fleshed out chapters.**

 **So, I'm going to be doing a little binge upload for this story for the next few days. There's going to be two more rewrites then it's going to be new original chapters for a short while after. And I want to get to that point before the end of the year. So, I may be blasting your inboxes for a couple of days. Sorry, in advance.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	46. The Last Summer Fling

**Chapter 46 – The Last Summer Fling**

 **Arle's POV**

We were all now at this burger place near Raffina's house celebrating not only me and the others passing the exam, but also the fact that we're going to wherever this Suzuran High School place is. I didn't want to come because of the teasing earlier, but the other girls didn't really give me a choice.

I was sitting with Sig, Chu, Harpy, and Klug while the other girls sat at another table. Melody and Rulue stayed with Ms. Accord to read more of Melody's light novel, Raina went off to meet with her friend (which kinda got Raffina upset, Mainly because she has no idea who this friend is), and Feli & Rafisol simply didn't want burgers. So they left. So it was just the rest of us there.

"Woah! This burger really is good!" Chu said while eating her burger.

"I know, right? This is the best…thing I've ever had!" Harpy cheered.

"Cool…"

"Chu, you got sauce all over your mouth." Sig said as he grabbed a napkin and started wiping Chu's mouth.

"Thank you, Shigu." Chu said to her brother, who then rubbed her head with his strange red hand.

"You're a really good brother, Sig." I said.

"Well…that's because Chu's a real good sister."

Chu then started hugging Sig as thanks for the compliment.

"Geez, you really are lucky, Sig." Klug said.

"Huh? What do you mean, Klug?"

Before giving an answer, Klug looked back at the other table with the girls to see that they were busy talking about who knows what. Then he turned back to us.

"Well, to be honest…Peruvis isn't exactly the "good sister" type."

"You're telling me this now? I've dealt with her just as long as you have."

"Still, my point stands."

"Really? Like how?" I asked.

"Well…"

"I can explain it perfectly." Phoenix suddenly appeared next to him with a smug look on his face.

 _I didn't even know he could reach this far._

"Oh, really?" Klug asked. "You're not worried about what Peruvis would do to you if she finds out you're bad-mouthing her."

" **PFFT!** You kidding? I bad-mouth her all the time. For starters, she's completely lazy."

"Yeah, there's that."

"She's a total perv."

"Completely true." Sig said.

"She's pretty much crap at cooking. Almost poisoned the hell out of us."

"W-Wowie…." Harpy said.

"And she's a total slob. Always leaving her clothes all over her room. I can't even tell ya how many pairs of underwear are on the floor as of this second."

"Wait, I can understand clothes, but why underwear?" I asked.

 _Why do I feel like I'm going to regret asking that?_

"Because she's constantly mastur…"

" **PHOENIX!** "

We then heard Peruvis yell across the restaurant, looking extremely pissed with her blushed red cheeks.

 _How is she now noticing?_

"What? I was just going to tell them that you're always touching…"

" **DON'T! YOU! DARE!** "

" _Ugh._ Fine. Storytime's over, folks. Be sure to leave a tip for me, kays?"

"I've got 10 Credit thingies. Would that do?" Harpy asked.

"Harpy, please don't tip him." Peruvis said with a sweatdrop.

"Well, whatever. I'm tired anyway. I'm going to sleep." Phoenix said before going back into her back. Peruvis then slumped back into her chair looking embarrassed of this whole thing.

"It's okay, Peruvis." Ally said. "Most teen girls our age do that all the time. It's natural."

"Shut up, Ally."

"Well, anyway." Amitie said. "You guys come over. We've got something big planned."

"Something big?" We asked.

"For our last summer fling before school starts."

"Oh, yeah." Klug said. "This is the last month of summer vacation, is it not?"

"Yep. And we just **GOTTA** do something before then."

"After G3, of course." Ally said.

"Bring up G3 one more time…"

"G3? What about it?" Ringo asked.

"Ally has tickets to G3 and she won't shut up about it."

"Can you really blame me, Ami? Do you know how long I've always wanted to go there live? This is a dream come true!"

"Yeah, whatever."

"Wait, you got tickets to G3?! Seriously?! H-How many?!" Ringo seemed excited for whatever this G3 thing is.

"Just 5. I already got one for me, Rafisol, and Lidelle. Not sure about the other two, though."

"C-Can I come?! I-I mean, I'm your girlfriend's cousin! I should be guaranteed to go!"

"You're using me as leverage to go to G3?" Lidelle asked with a sweatdrop.

"Well, when you put it that way…sure, Ringo. You can tag along."

" **YES! SCORE! I'M GOING TO G3!** "

" _Aw, damnit! You're lucky, Ringo! I can't compare myself to any of you!_ " Peruvis whined.

"Well…we both C-cups."

" **Oh, my God, Ally!** " Amitie yelled at her.

"Oh, yeah. We are. A duo of big boobed girls!"

"Freaking perv…" Sig said with a facepalm.

"So, with that…you can come along too, Peruvis."

" **HELL YEAH! I'M GOING TO G3!** "

"Hi-five!" Ringo cheered. And then the two hi-fived each other.

"Ally, I swear. Your logic to things are total crap." Raffina said.

"So, is that the big planned thing you were talking about?" Sig asked.

"No, no. What we decided is that we're all going to the beach."

"The beach?" Sig, Klug, and I asked.

"I've got a beach house on the outskirts of town. It's big enough to fit all of us including the adults. What with how rich I am. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

"No one likes a bragger, Raffi." Amitie said.

"I-I was not bragging! I was just proving my point."

"Right…"

"I don't know. Is all of us staying at a beach house really a good idea?" Klug asked.

"I'm with Klug. It seems a bit off." Sig said.

"Oh, come on." Amitie said. "Are you boys worried about the ratio between boys and girls?"

"Yes." Both boys said.

" _Probably worried about getting morning…_ "

 ***POW***

" **Ow!** "

"Shut it, you damn perverts." Raffina said after hitting both Ally and Peruvis in the head.

"Why the beach of all places, anyway?" Klug asked. "Doesn't that seem just the slightest bit cliché?"

"Lighten up, Klug." Raffina said. "We'll only be there for a few days. It's for my birthday."

"Your birthday?"

"It's near the end of this month. July 25th."

"W-Wait, hold on." I said. "Raffina, your birthday is July 25th?"

"Yeah. Well, now that I think about it, it's also Raina's birthday. Sucks that I gotta share my birthday with her. Anyway, why you ask?"

"Uh…my birthday's July 22nd."

…

…

…

"S-Seriously?" Raffina asked after the whole group went silent.

"Yep. It's true."

"Wow. So, Arle's three days older than Raffina." Lidelle said.

"To think that Arle was born in a different world three days before Raffina…kinda hard to comprehend." Ringo added.

"Well…anyway. We can just celebrate both of our birthdays, Arle."

"Really? You don't mind?" I asked.

"Like I said, I already gotta share it with Raina. It'll be fine, I swear."

"Wow, uh…thanks, Raffina."

" _Ooh._ Aruru's birthday. Shigu, can we go, too?" Chu asked her brother.

"Um, well…it's up to Arle, Chu." Sig then turned to me. "So, uh…w-want us to be there?"

"I-I…w-well…o-of course! I-I'll kinda be lonely without you! **Wh-What I mean is…i-it won't be fun without you! Y-You and Chu, I mean! Y-Yeah, that's it!** " I couldn't stop blushing after that.

"Oh. Okay, then." I saw Sig blush a little too, but it quickly went away after a few seconds.

" _It's happening…_ "

"What?" We asked the group of girls.

"Nothing." And they responded with a few giggles added at the end.

 _I do not like that answer…_

"Geez, where is my burger already? I've been waiting for a good 15 minutes."

"Huh? You mean, you haven't eaten, Lidelle?" Ally asked her.

"They said that it would take a while to make. But I didn't think "a while" meant this long…"

"Sorry for the wait, ma'am." The waiter said as he approached our table. "Here's you Super Mega Triple Bacon Quarter Pounder Cheeseburger with extra sauce."

"Thank you." Lidelle said with a bow. Then grabbed the burger with her two small hands.

"What…the hell?" Raffina asked.

"Lidelle, there is no way you can finish that." Amitie said.

"I can too. Wanna bet?"

"I'm in!" Peruvis yelled out as she slammed 50 Credits on the table. "There is no way in hell you can finish that monstrosity of a burger. Who else is in?"

" _ ***sigh***_ Why not? I'm down to make some easy money." Amitie said as she placed 50 of her own Credits on the table. And soon, everyone else followed. The only ones that didn't were myself (because I was flat broke), Harpy (for the same reason), and oddly enough Ally and Ringo.

 _Do they know the outcome to this?_

" _ ***giggle***_ Alright, then." Lidelle brought the burger up to her mouth and, I'm joking when I say this…but in just **TWO FREAKING MINUTES** , she ate the entire burger. Leaving no proof of its existence.

" _Ah…that was so_ _ ***burp***_ _good._ "

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Lidelle, I swear. Your appetite is terrifying." Ringo said. Breaking the silence between the rest of us.

* * *

After we all finished ate, I had gone to the restroom and was now washing my hands. And as I was drying my hands while coming out…

"Hey, Arle." Amitie came up to me. "Can we talk to you for a sec?"

" _We?_ " I didn't like where this was going.

"It's not bad or anything."

"Yeah, but… _we_?"

"It's just going to be us girls."

"Amitie. You seem to be dogging my question." I said with a sweatdrop.

" **Just come on!** " Amitie grew impatient and just grabbed my arm, pulling me outside the restaurant where Raffina, Lidelle, and Ally were waiting.

"So, when were you going to tell him?" Amitie asked after letting go of my arm.

"Huh? Tell who what?"

"You know. Tell Sig that you love him." Raffina said.

" **Wh-Wh-What?! Wh-What the hell?! Wh-Why would I say that?!** " I started blushing.

"Well, duh. You clearly like him."

" **Yeah, as a FRIEND!** "

"Don't bother lying, Arle. We can tell." Lidelle said.

"Just admit it already." Ally added.

" **Admit what?! What the hell are you girls talking about?!** "

" _ ***sigh***_ Do we really have to say it?" Raffina asked.

" **Say what?! You guys have been saying I'll notice it, but I have no idea what the hell you're talking about!** "

" _Really, now?_ " All of them were getting annoyed at this point. Staring me down with unamused looks. It was rather unnerving.

…

…

…

To the point where I finally broke.

"O…O-Okay. Y-You got me. I-I admit it."

"Admit _**what**_ , Arle?" The girls teased.

"S-Seriously? Y-You're gonna make me say it?"

" _Come on…_ "

I was blushing really hard, but was also getting very annoyed. If they really want me to say it, then I will.

" **FINE! I ADMIT IT! I LOVE SIG, DAMNIT! ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY NOW?!** "

"See? Now was that so hard, Arle?" Amitie asked.

" _Just please stop teasing me…_ " I whined. Completely embarrassed by what I just said.

"Alright. We won't tease you anymore."

"So…why bring this up?"

"Because. We're going to help you and Sig get together." Ally said.

" **H-Huh?!** " I started blushing again.

"Come on, Arle. We're going to be at the beach for a couple of days. It's the perfect time."

"Wait, the beach? Is _**this**_ the reason why you decided on the trip?"

" _Well…_ part of the reason." Raffina said.

"You really want me to confess my love for Sig during your birthday vacation?"

"We know it sounds inconsiderate, but trust me, it'll be great to see."

 _Great for who?_ I gained a sweatdrop.

"Okay…but how do you plan on making this work?" I had doubts on this whole thing.

"Come on, Arle. We're girls. Teenage girls, to be exact. We know everything about romance and love." Lidelle said.

"That sounds like a stereotype…"

"Well, even if it is, you've got two sets of couples on your side. We know what to do." Ally said.

"We even got Peruvis on Sig duty." Raffina added. "Since the two of them are childhood friends and all."

 _Right…_ I suddenly got sad once I remembered that.

"Just leave it to us. We'll get you two together in no time flat." Amitie said.

I was still skeptical about this whole idea. Leaving my feelings for Sig in the hands of four lesbians and a possible secret love rival. But they are my friends. And if they really want to help, I can't really say no to them.

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright, guys. I'll trust you."

"You won't be let down, Arle!" Amitie cheered.

"I can only hope."

"Just one more thing. Where would Schezo's cave be at?" Raffina asked.

"Huh? Schezo's cave?"

"I just need to ask him something."

"Uh…it's in that Nahe Forest place. Next to a small lake."

"Small lake, huh? Okay. I got it. I'll go ask him tomorrow."

"Uh…okay?"

 _What does Raffina want with Schezo?_

* * *

Amitie, Ally, and I then split from the other three girls and headed home. We ended up running into Rafisol on the way, who said she got lost. So, Ally held her hand the whole way there.

"Geez, Sis. Why did you say you'll go home if you don't know where it is?"

" _I thought I did. Sorry, Onee-chan._ "

"You don't have to be sorry, Sis."

"Where did you go, anyway?" Amitie asked.

" _I was with Feli. She's a fun girl._ "

"With Feli? Wow, I didn't know you two became friends."

Rafisol responded with a simple nod.

"Well, good for you, Sis." Ally said. "I'm sure you and Feli will have fun during our trip to the beach."

" _The beach?_ "

"Oh, yeah. We're going to the beach as a way to have fun together before school starts."

" _Oh. Sounds fun._ " I really couldn't tell if Rafisol was happy or not. Her face was just as emotionless as Sig's. If not more.

"Yep. All of us are going. Us, the adults…"

"Plus one more." Amitie added.

"Oh, yeah. And one more."

"One more? Who else is coming?" I asked.

"Well, he doesn't know yet, but he's coming along." Amitie said with a smile.

"Okay…" I didn't know how to respond to that, so I just left it alone.

The more I thought about this beach trip, the more worried I got over what is it these girls are planning. I know they want to help, and they're trying to. But…

 _For some reason, I feel like I'm going to regret this tremendously hard…_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Part 2 of the chapter binge. I really want to get to the next point where I can write the new original chapters I had planned for a while. Like sometime before Christmas, I want to get these done. So, expect more updates in the next few days or so.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	47. Melody's First Book

**Chapter 47 – Melody's First Book**

 **Amitie's POV**

"Mom…"

 ***mumble***

"Mom…"

 ***more mumbling***

" **MOM!** "

" **What?! Huh?! Wh-What?!** "

…

…

…

" _Oh._ _ ***yawn***_ _Ami. It's just you._ "

"Who else calls you "Mom", Mom?"

" _It's too_ _ ***yawn***_ _early for your sarcasm._ "

"Anyway, get up."

" _For what?_ _It's_ _ ***yawn***_ _freaking 8 in the morning._ "

"Mom, don't you remember? We're supposed to go to the library today to do an author meet and greet event."

" _Huh?_ " Mom went silent for a bit. " _O-Oh yeah, I remember! Is that really_ _ ***yawn***_ _today?_ "

"Yes, it's today. Now get up before I hit you with my pillow."

" _Alright, alright. Just don't hit me with that_ _ ***yawn***_ _damn pillow. That thing's hard as hell._ "

Mom finally got up from her futon and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Still yawning, of course. Meanwhile, Arle, Ally, and Rafisol were eating breakfast and saw the whole thing.

"Geez…it's like I'm the parent sometimes." I said as I joined them.

"Well, you and Melody always had this special chemistry together, Ami." Ally said. "More special than most mothers and daughters."

" _Plus, it's really funny._ " Rafisol added.

"Oh, yeah. Definitely funny."

"Gee thanks, you two." I sounded slightly insulted.

"Aw come on, Ami. You know we're just messing with you."

"Yeah. I know."

"You three are really close, huh?" Arle asked.

"Yeah. I've known these twins since we were little. Their personalities didn't change much, but Ally was a lot more affectionate towards me."

"Really? How?" Arle asked Ally.

"Um…well…it was _**so**_ long ago, I don't really remember…"

" _Onee-chan was in love with Ami._ "

"S-Sis!" Ally was now blushing.

" **No way! You were in love with Amitie?!** "

Ally went silent for a while. Trying to calm down as the one thing from her childhood that she wants to forget was brought back up again.

"F-Fine. I was." She stuttered. "B-But that's all done for! C-Completely in the past! My love is 100% devoted to Lidelle!"

"I see."

"But you should've seen her back then, Arle. She didn't even try to hide it. Always clinging on to me and saying " _ **Let's fall in love!**_ " every day."

"Really?!" Arle then started to laugh a little. Making Ally upset.

" **I-I told you those feelings are gone now!** " She shouted.

"Alright, alright. I believe you, Ally." Arle said.

"Believe in what?" It was at this point Mom had came back to the living room to join us for breakfast.

" **Nothing! It's absolutely nothing! We weren't talking about a damn thing!** " Ally yelled, still feeling embarrassed.

…

…

…

"Okay…?" Mom decided not to question it further.

As she starting eating, I took a look at the outfit she was wearing. She had on black sweatpants and a grey jacket with black strips on the sleeves.

"Mom, what's with the outfit?" I asked.

"Oh, this? I just didn't feel like dressing up for this, so I just grabbed the first thing I saw in the closet."

"I bet you don't have a single dress or skirt in that closet, do you?"

"No, Ami. I do not."

"Figures."

"Wait, you guys are using the closets?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. You're not?"

"No, because we don't have any _**hangers**_. Or a _**dresser**_. Or a _**bed**_. Or any _**furniture**_ for that matter."

It's true. It's been 4 months since Mom and I moved to Primp and we still don't have any furniture. Money's been real tight lately. So, we've only been spending it on food and stuff for hygiene. Hopefully, Mom's light novel sells well so that we could finally stop sleeping on the floor. It's starting to become uncomfortable.

 _Why now all of a sudden, I can't really tell you._

"Well, not to worry, Ally." Mom said to her. "Once this day is over, we'll have enough money to even buy a jacuzzi!"

"Mom, we are not buying a jacuzzi." I retorted.

"Why the hell not?"

"Because we don't need one."

" _And you'll probably fall asleep in it._ " Rafisol added.

"It's supposed to make you do that."

"Yeah, but with you in one, you'll probably drown in it."

"No offense, Melody. But Ami's right." Ally said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine, whatever." Mom pouted.

I took a quick glance at my phone to check the time, and we were about to be late.

"Alright. Come on, Mom. We need to go."

"Alright, Ami. I'm coming!"

"Are you guys still coming?" I asked the others.

"Yeah, sure. I want to know what Melody's book is about." Ally said.

"Me too." Arle agreed.

Rafisol only gave a slight nod, meaning that she wanted to come too.

So then we each grabbed whatever food we could carry with one hand and went out the door to Mom's car, heading our way to the library for this meet and greet thing.

 _I sure hope Mom doesn't make a fool of herself…_

* * *

It was a short drive there, but in my mind, it felt like an eternity. Mainly because the whole ride there, I was thinking one big question that's been on my mind ever since we moved here.

 _What the hell is Mom's book about?!_

This whole time, she's never told me. Not even a small hint at what the plot is. Alongside the Puyo Hats and my relationship with Raffina, it's been bugging me for the longest time.

And when we stepped inside the museum part of the building, my curiosity got the best of me. And so, I had to ask at least one more time.

"Alright, Mom. I've been dying to know…what's your book about?"

" _Well…_ seeing how today's the release date, I guess I can tell you guys."

"Really?! **FINALLY!** " I cheered.

"So, what's it about, Melody?" Arle asked.

"Well…it's your typical standard Shoujo Ai."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" I asked with a facepalm.

"Shoujo Ai?" Arle asked.

"It literally translates to "girls love". Meaning it's a lesbian story." Ally explained.

"Oh…"

"Which is why I have a bad feeling about this…" I said.

"What are you worried about, Ami?" Mom asked. "It's just a simple story. Two girls meet each other and start off as friends. They soon realize that they have feelings or each other and both struggle to confess to the other. It has your comedy, your drama, and of course, your romance. With a bit of implied steamy goodness here and there. _***wink* *wink***_ "

" _Ooh…_ steamy goodness" Ally said.

"And by "steamy goodness", you mean…you totally turned that one-off story about Raffi and I into your book, didn't you?" I asked.

"What? No. of course, I didn't. _But…_ I did use it as a bases work for the steamy bits."

" **MOM!** "

"Oh, calm down, Ami. it's two completely different people."

"Yeah, but the fact that a porno based on me was part of the inspiration for this _**really**_ pisses me off!"

"Well, geez, Ami. If your **that** upset about an imaginary you doing sexy stuff, then why don't you just boink your girlfriend already?"

 _ **IS THIS SERIOUSLY COMING OUT OF MY MOM'S MOUTH RIGHT NOW?!**_

" _M-M…M-Mom…_ " I was too much in shock to say much else. What my mom had just said…just "boink" my girlfriend already…

…

…

…

 _M-My body…i-it feels warm suddenly._

" _Ami wants to boink…_ "

" **N-NO, I DON'T!** " I yelled at Ally.

"Don't lie, Ami. It's written all over your face."

" **Tch!** " I didn't respond to that and just went silent again. My blushes of embarrassment increasing as the thought kept rambling in my head.

 _M-M-Me…a-a-and Raffi…d-d-doing_ _ **that**_ _…_

…

…

…

 _I-I'm not…a-against it…_

"Anyway…" Mom continued. "That's all the hints I'm gonna give ya. You'll have to read the book yourself to find out the rest."

" _ **Ooh!**_ Now I'm _**really**_ interested!" Ally cheered.

" _Sounds like a really good book, Melody._ " Rafisol added.

"Yeah, can't wait to read it." Arle said.

"Thanks, girls. I just hope the public thinks the same way."

 _I hope the rest of the town aren't perverts…_

* * *

I had managed to calm down not long after the conversation as we reached the library part of the building, where Akuma was waiting at the front desk.

"Hey, Akuma. I'm here." Mom said.

"Melody. You're late…again, **KUMA!** "

"Yeah, sorry about that. I, uh…overslept."

"I see you've gone back to your normal sleeping habits, **KUMA!** "

"Yeah, she has." I said. "Waking her up in the mornings is like it's own 9 to 5 job."

" **H-Hey!** " Mom sounded insulted.

"Speaking of which…thanks for letting me work here, Akuma. I could really use the money."

"Not a problem, Amitie, **KUMA!** Yu has been bugging me non-stop for a new hire. So, maybe this would keep her quiet for a while, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

"I see."

"Wait, you got a job here, Ami?" Ally asked me.

"Yeah. I need pocket money for the beach trip, right?"

"But didn't you say Raffina was rich?"

"Yeah, but even she's not going to have enough to supply all of us. And besides, it's **her** birthday. She shouldn't be paying for anything on that day. So I'm going to use some of what money I get before the trip to buy her a gift."

" _Oh. I see. Does Raffi know?_ " Ally teased.

"No she doesn't, and I don't want her to. It's going to be a surprise."

" _I see…_ "

"Also, don't call her Raffi. That's my nickname for her."

"Okay, then. Can I call her Waffine?"

"If you want to get punched in the stomach, then go ahead."

" _Sh-She wouldn't do that…r-right?_ " Ally sounded a little scared.

"You can find out for yourself." I said with a cheeky grin.

"N-No. I-I'm good."

We went deeper inside the library to where the event was supposed to take place. There, we saw Yu carrying boxes filled with what I believe are copies of Mom's book to the main booth. She was already looking exhausted.

 _Wait, can ghosts get exhausted?_

" _S-So…exhausted…._ "

 _I guess they can._

"Hey, Yu." I called out to her.

"Amitie!" Yu cheered as she hugged me real tight.

"H-Hey, Yu. I missed you too, but I don't want to be like you."

"Oh. Sorry. I'm just happy that we're finally getting some help here."

"Speaking of which, where's Rei?"

"He went out to get some breakfast for us. Though…I think I should've gone with him. He's not good with directions, and gets easily distracted."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Ally said. "Sis here is the same way."

"Sis?" Yu sounded confused.

"Oh, right. This is my twin sister, Rafisol. She just moved in with us."

" _Hi._ " Was all Rafisol said.

"Hey, there." Yu said as she took a look at Rafisol…and noticed how she was floating. "Uh, Ally. Is she…"

"No, she's not dead. She just doesn't have a soul."

"Really?! No soul?! I heard the chances of that are extremely rare, **KUMA!** " Akuma said.

"Yeah, not even Rei and I have had that happen."

Hearing Yu say that started making me think of something that before this moment, never came across my mind.

"Hey, Yu. If you and Rei were alive today, how old would you two be?" I asked.

Yu stood (or floated) there for a second, trying to think of an answer. I guess no one has ever brought this up to her until now. As it took her a while to give a response.

"You know…I honestly can't remember." She said with a gloomy tone.

"More like, you don't want to remember. Am I right?" Akuma asked.

Yu didn't say anything...but nodded yes to confirm his assumption.

"Amitie, didn't Yu tell you?"

"Didn't Yu tell me…?" I had to think a bit to understand what Akuma was talking about, but when I did figure it out…I felt horrible for bringing it up.

" **Cr-Crap! Y-Yu, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to make you think of that stuff again!** "

"It's okay, Amitie. It's was just an accident, that's all." Yu said in the same tone as before.

"Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine."

 _She doesn't sound fine. I think I've hit an old wound…_

"Well, we've got another 30 minutes before the event starts. You girls get what's left of the boxes and then you can take a break, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

"Sure thing, Akuma." We both said.

* * *

 ***WARNING! THIS PART OF THE CHAPTER GETS REALLY DARK! IF DARK CONTENT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, STOP READING NOW! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!***

Mom and Akuma went to his office to discuss any last minutes details to include, and Ally took Rafisol and Arle to look around the library until the event started. So, it was just Yu and I gathering up the remaining boxes and moving them to the booth. There weren't that many left and we were able to finish with 15 minutes to spare.

"Geez, where's Rei with that breakfast?" I asked while rubbing my stomach. All the work had made me a little hungry.

"He probably got distracted with something again. I knew I should've gone with him." Yu said.

"Well, hopefully, he gets here soon. It's going to be chaos in about 15 minutes."

"Yeah, true."

After a minute or two of silence, Yu spoke up again.

"Hey, Amitie…can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah, sure. About what?"

"W-Well…remember a couple of months ago? Wh-When we first met?"

"Yeah, I remember. You and Rei rescued Raffina and I from the Puyo Hats. I'm still grateful for that, you know."

"No problem. But…there's something we left out. And by "we", I mean only me."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"W-Well…you know how I said that Rei and I were assaulted by our father and ended up dying from it?"

"Yeah…"

"W-Well…t-to be completely honest…I-I…l-lied."

"Huh?!"

"The truth is…it was only me who was assaulted."

" **R-Really?!** " I was in complete shock.

"Y-Yeah. And it wasn't just being assaulted."

"What do you mean?"

Yu stayed silent for a short while. And during that, she started crying. I held her in a hug until she felt a little better enough to continue explaining.

"I…I was also tortured, starved, locked up, a-and…

…

…

…

…r-r…raped."

"Wh…What?" I was in shock. "I-Is that…Is that really true?"

"I-I wish it wasn't, I _**really**_ do. But it is. My father would lock me up in the basement, completely naked with my arms and legs chained to the wall, for days without food. And when he did feed me, it was only minuscules of bread crumbs. Every so often, he would beat me. Most of the time with his bare fists, but on occasion…h-he would use a whip. At the time, I didn't know which hurt more: the bruises and scars left on my naked body, or how he enjoyed giving me said bruises and scars."

"Y-Yu…" I whispered.

"I didn't think it could get worse than that, but…b-but it did. One day…m-my father…h-he…r-raped me. My dad… **my own father! He raped me!** **Destroyed my purity and innocence non-stop every damn day! Along with the torturous beatings and starvation!** Until one day…my body couldn't take the suffering anymore…and I died in that same exact spot."

Yu was crying full hard tears at this point while I was completely speechless and felt sick to my stomach. But I just had to ask one more question. So I pulled myself together and asked said question.

"A-And what happened to Rei? How did he die?"

"Rei…he couldn't take the news of my death. And the horrid events that led to it. He committed suicide shortly after my funeral. We were reunited, but…it was because of a horrible fate for us both."

Yu then continued to cry while I sat there and watched in horror and shock. Up until now, I always thought I had the worst memories of my father. But after hearing what Yu had to go through, the true reason of how she died…the assaults on me felt like mere fights in the schoolyard.

"Yu…I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you had to go through such hell." I said while giving her another hug. A long one this time. "But you and I…we have a lot more in common than we originally thought."

" _ ***sniff***_ W-We do?" Yu stopped crying to ask.

"Of course. We were both hurt and betrayed by someone we loved and cared about. Sure, I survived and you ended up dying…but other than that, we know what it's like to be hurt. And we're doing all that we can to not feel like that ever again. So, please…cheer up. As long as we stick together, everything's going to be damn well fine."

Yu went silent for a good while. Her face looked like she wasn't expecting me to say any of that stuff I just said. She then wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tighter than when I hugged her before.

 _Hugging a ghost is surprisingly easily…_

"You're right, Amitie. We are alike. We both know what it's like to be hurt, but we also have a new life. With friends new and old to make us forget the hell we went through. And you made me realize that, even though I lied to you before. Thank you, Amitie. You really are a true friend."

"No problem, Yu. That's what friends are for."

" **Indeedy!** " Yu cheered. Which made me giggle a bit.

"Oh, by the way…you can just call me Ami."

"Ami?"

"It's a nickname I made for myself that only a few people call me as. It's like...proof of our friendship."

…

"I-I see. Well then thank you a lot…Ami."

"You're more than welcome, Yu." I said with a smile.

"A-And uh…to answer your question from before…Rei and I would be 16 if we were alive today. It's been two years since those… _ **events**_ …happened."

"16, huh? The same age as me."

"Really? Well, our birthday was June 9th."

"Wow. So, I'm just a few days older than you both. Pretty cool."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, I guess it is." Yu said. Finally regained the smile she's always known for.

 _Glad she's happy again._

"There you girls are, **KUMA!** I see you've finished already, **KUMA!** " Akuma had came up to the booth along with Mom.

"Yeah, we did. Wasn't that much left anyway." I said.

"I see."

"Huh? Hey Yu, were you…crying?" Mom asked.

"Oh, yeah. I was. But I'm okay now."

"Why, what happened?"

"W-Well…"

 ***BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP***

"Well, now. Would you look at that, **KUMA!** " Akuma said as he looked at his watch. "It's time to open the doors. Everyone. To your positions, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

"Sure thing, Akuma." Yu and I replied.

"H-Hey! I wanna know the secret!" Mom yelled.

"Sorry, Mom. It's a teenager thing." I said with a smile.

" _Ugh._ Damn it."

As Mom went to go sulk in defeat behind her desk, Yu and I waited by the both to work as helpers for Mom. As we stood there, we both had realized one more thing:

Rei still hasn't come back with the food.

 _Where the hell is he?!_

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

"So, let me get this straight. You want me to go with everyone to your birthday celebration at a beach house…just so I can help Arle get together with this Sig guy?"

"Yep! That's exactly it! So you'll come, right?"

"Uhh _…_ "

I was at Schezo's cave explaining to him the situation us girls have made for ourselves, hoping that he'll help us. Feli and Peruvis were with me too, as after this we were going to the library to buy Melody's book.

"Sounds interesting…but I'll pass."

"Huh? Why?"

"Look, Raffina. I do not know if Arle told you guys already, but I despise the beach."

" **What?! That's crazy!** "

" **How can anyone hate the beach?!** " Peruvis asked.

"I just hate everything about it. The sun beating down on me, the sand getting in my shoes, women accusing me of being gay because I don't find any interest in their swimsuits."

"Wait, what?" The three of us reacted to the last one.

"Rulue did that to me once. Since then, it's become a trend with other women back in our world. It's a freaking curse."

"I see…." I said as we each gained a sweatdrop. "But don't you want to help Arle?"

"I would love to, but if it involves going to the beach, then no way."

"It's not _**just**_ the beach, you know." Feli said.

"Oh, really? How so?"

Feli looked at me asking for confirmation. The reason being that there was a second part to the trip that we originally wanted to keep secret. But in order to get Schezo on board on this, we might just have to tell him.

"Our family owns a beach house that sits across from it. And there's a small boardwalk nearby. With games and rides and stuff."

"Wait, seriously? You're now bringing that up?" Peruvis asked.

"It was supposed to be a secret. So, don't tell the others, alright?" I said to her.

"Fine. I guess. But now I need to come up with more money for the trip."

"You can sell the multiple crap you have in your room." Phoenix said.

"Ignoring you."

"Anyway…" I turned back to Schezo. "If you don't want to do any of that, you can just stay inside the house."

"Hm. Is that so?" Schezo went silent for a second. We didn't really know what he was thinking at this moment, but were hoping it was something good. "Well…alright. If it's _**that**_ important for me to come, then I shall tag along."

" **YES!** " Us girls cheered as we hi-fived each other.

"Thanks a lot, Schezo! You won't regret this!" I said.

"Hopefully, that is a true statement."

"Hey, Raffina. We should get going before the line gets too long." Feli said to me.

"Yeah, right. We should."

"Line for what?" Schezo asked.

"Melody's book goes on sale today and we all want a copy."

"Melody…wrote a book?" Schezo gained a look of pure disbelief.

"We know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true. Come with us and see for yourself."

"Is the line really going to be long? I did not think people were still interested in these things."

…

…

…

"You need to get out more." Peruvis said.

" **Tch!** " Schezo got insulted.

* * *

It didn't really take us long to return to the plaza. But when we were near the museum, the line was surprisingly long. When we got in line, we were blocks away from the entrance.

 _Geez, I didn't this many people would be here. Will we even get a copy?_

"Great. The line is long." Schezo said, already sounding annoyed.

"Lighten up, Schezo. We'll probably be inside in like 30 minutes or so." Peruvis said.

"30 minutes in this heat?! Are you insane?!"

"Hey, you're the one wearing a black hoodie and black pants." I said.

"I'm a dark wizard. I'm supposed to wear black. I'm not going to wear a bunch of random colors like some kind of fre…"

" _Like some kind of what, Schezo?_ " All three of us said, reminding him who he's with at the moment.

…

…

…

"N…Never mind."

"Thank you." I said.

"Hey, guys!"

We heard voices calling for us and coming up behind us were Ally, Arle, and Rafisol.

"Hey, guys. I thought you came with Ami."

"We did, but Ally thought it would be a _**great**_ idea to get something to eat just a few minutes before the event started." Arle said.

"Hey, you said you were hungry. And we were too, right Sis?" Ally asked her sister.

Rafisol did a simple nod, agreeing with her sister.

"See?"

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever." Arle gave up. "So, the line's already this long, huh?"

"Yeah, it is." Peruvis said. "Schezo was just complaining about earlier."

"I'm actually surprised to see you out here, Schezo. Didn't think you'd be interested."

"Well, when I heard the words, "Melody wrote a book", I had to see it for myself." Schezo said.

"Yeah, that does sound unbelievable, doesn't it?" Arle gained a sweatdrop.

"And based on what Ms. Accord said, it's really good too." Ally added.

"Yeah, I remember Melody giving her and Rulue a copy before they even went on sale." I said.

"Lucky." Ally pouted.

"Well, they are friends, Ally."

"Yeah, but still. _I wanna read the steamy bits, too!_ "

 _St-Steamy bits? Okay, what the hell is Melody's book about?_

" **Hey! Ally!** "

We then heard someone calling Ally's name. Turns out it was Harpy, who was…on the roof of the building next to us?

" **Harpy!** "

" **Ally!** "

Harpy flew down from the roof and the two did their usual hug which ended in the same result: with somebody pulling them down.

"Harpy, what were you doing on that roof?" Arle asked.

"Oh, that. I was sleeping up there."

"Wh-Why?!"

"It's my new home!" She cheered.

"Harpy…you cannot live on the roof of a building." Schezo said.

" _ ***whine***_ Why not, Schezo?! You live in a cave!"

"That is different! I'm protected by whatever weather this oddly-named place throws at me!"

"It's not like the cloud world back home, Harpy. Weird things can happen in this strange new world." Arle added.

 _Do they_ _ **still**_ _think this place is weird?!_

" _ ***whine***_ I guess that's true. But I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Don't worry, Harpy. We'll think of something." Ally said.

"Yeah, cheer up, Harpy." I said. "Once we get back from the beach, we find you a new home, okay?"

" **Yay!** Thanks, everyone!" Harpy cheered. "So…what's going on here?"

"We're in line to get a copy of Melody's new book." Ally explained.

…

…

…

"Who's Melody?"

"Ami's mom, remember? I live with them."

" _Oh, yeah!_ "

 _How did she forget where her best friend lives?!_

"Hey, Ally. Can I get one, too?"

"Sure, Harpy. You have any money?"

…

…

…

"What's money?"

 _Seriously?! Ami and I already told you! How did you forget?!_

"Don't worry, Harpy. I'll just buy you one."

" **Yay!** Thanks, Ally! But…just one more thing."

"Yeah, what?"

"What's a book?"

 _ **Oh, my God!**_

"Arle…just how?" I asked her.

"I don't even know myself, Raffina." She answered with a facepalm.

* * *

By the time we finished explaining to Harpy (yet again) what money and books were, the line had gotten shorter. So much that we had to walk a few blocks to catch up with the line. When we did, we were in front of the local pet store. It was where we saw someone I didn't expect to be there.

"Uh…Rei? What are you doing?" I asked as he was staring through the glass at the animals inside.

"Oh. Raffina. Just looking."

"At what?"

"This cat."

I looked through the window with him and saw the pure white kitten he was talking about. It really was cute…but I was still confused on why he was staring at it so intensely.

"It's a really cute cat, Rei. But why are you staring at it?"

"It's cute."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much."

…

…

…

I was still confused. More than before at this point. But then I thought of something that might help a lot.

"Rei…do you want this cat?"

Rei didn't say anything, but the slow nod he made gave me a clear answer. I giggled a bit and patted his back.

"Wow, Rei. I didn't know you liked cats."

"They're cute."

"Yeah, I can tell."

"Uh, Raffina. Who is this…ghost?" Feli asked me.

"Oh, right. This is Rei. He's a friend of mine. Rei, this is my cousin Feli and my friend Peruvis."

"Oh. I see."

"How are you friends with a ghost?" Peruvis asked.

"It's a long story…" I answered with a shiver. Luckily, Peruvis didn't notice it and just shrugged off my response.

"Well, nice to meet you, Rei."

Rei simply just waved hello. Still distracted by the white cat in the window.

"You really want that cat, do you?" I asked.

"Yes."

The cat had finally noticed Rei and now it was staring at him with its front paws on the window. I saw Rei's face blush like he's talking to his crush.

"I think the cat wants him too." Arle said.

"It really is cute." Schezo added.

"Cute." Rei repeated.

Just then, the door to the pet store opened and out came the owner, who to my surprise was…

"Sig?"

"Oh. Hey guys."

"Sig, do you own this pet store?"

"Well, it's currently a pet store. Won't be for long. I bought it when Chu and I moved here and I'm making it into a bug farm."

" **You BOUGHT a pet store?! With what money?!** "

"I, uh…got money from some really difficult things in my past. I rather not talk about it."

"It's true. It's really messed up." Peruvis added.

"I see…"

 _Difficult and messed-up things? What happened with him before moving to Primp?_

"H-Hey, S-Sig." Arle said while blushing.

"O-Oh. A-Arle. N-Nice to see you." Sig was also blushing.

 _Oh! Looks like Sig's realized it now, too! This is just perfect!_

"A-Anyway." Sig shook his head. "You look really interested in this cat. You want him?"

"Yes." Rei sounded excited, but I couldn't tell from his face.

 _Are boys nowadays like this?_

"Wait, Rei. Can you even afford it?" I asked.

…

…

…

"Uh…"

"He can have it for free." Sig said.

"R-Really?!" I sounded surprised.

"I'm trying to give away the remaining pets here so I can start remolding. I'm sure he'll be better off with an owner than to be stuck in here with a bunch of bugs."

"I see. Well, Rei, you still want the cat?"

Rei and the cat were still staring deeply into each other's eyes.

"I think that's a yes." Feli answered for him.

"Okay."

Sig went back inside and got the cat out from the bed it was on. Then he came back out with the cat and gave it to Rei. Rei was now deeply blushing as he brought the cat to his face and the cat started licking his nose.

"That is so goddamn cute." Ally said. The rest of us agreed.

"By the way, I think it's male." Sig said.

"I see." I said. "What are you going to name it, Rei?"

"Kat."

"Yes, Rei. You got the cat. What's its name, though?"

"Kat."

"We can see the cat, Rei. But what's its name?"

"Kat."

…

…

…

"Are you screwing with me?"

"No. That's his name. Kat. K-A-T, Kat."

" _ **Kat**_ the _**Cat**_ …?" We all sounded confused.

"Nice name." Sig said.

"Thanks."

 _Of course, Sig would like it._

"So, Sig. Are you and Chu planning to go to the library today?" I asked him.

"Huh? For what?"

"Melody's book comes out today. That's why we're in li…"

I looked to my left to see that said line was non-existent. We were so invested in Rei's love for cats that we didn't even realize the line shrunk dramatically.

"Oh." Was all I could say.

"Well, since there's no line, I guess we can go. Hey, Chu. You wanna go to the library?"

"The library?" Chu asked as she came out of the store. She got excited when she saw us. And by "us", I mean Arle.

" **Aruru!** " She cheered as she ran up to hug her.

"Hey, Chu. Nice to see you." Arle said while patting her head.

"Shigu. What's happening at the library?"

"Melody's book."

"Oh, yeah."

"So, you guys going?" Arle asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Sig said.

"Great. We're heading there now." I said.

"Actually, Raffina. I think we're next in line." Peruvis said.

…

…

…

"R-Right." I gained a sweatdrop.

* * *

When we got to the entrance, we walked all the way through the museum to the library and found the booth with Ami, Melody, Yu, and Akuma standing next to it.

"Gee, there you guys are! I was wondering when you'll show up!" Amitie said.

"Sorry, Ami." I said. "We would've been here earlier, but things happened."

"What things?"

" _Well…_ "

"Yu. I got a cat." Rei said to his twin sister.

" **Rei! Where were you?! You were supposed to bring us food 3 hours ago!** " Yu yelled.

"I got a cat."

"So you forgot to get us something to eat because you were looking at a cat?!"

…

…

…

"I got a cat." Rei repeated.

Yu sighed with annoyance while facepalming her entire face.

"G…Good for you, Rei." Was all she could say.

" _Aw!_ What a cute little kitty!" Amitie cheered. "What's his name, Rei?"

"Kat."

"Yes, Rei. You got a cat. What's its name, though?"

"Kat."

"I can see the cat, Rei. But what's its name?"

"Kat."

…

…

…

"Is he screwing with me?" Amitie asked me.

"You would think, but no. That's actually the name of the cat. K-A-T, Kat."

" _ **Kat**_ the _**Cat**_ …?" Amitie, Melody, Yu, and Akuma sounded confused.

"That's what we said."

" _Onee-chan._ " Rafisol said to her sister.

"Yeah, Sis?"

" _Can we get one?_ "

"What? You mean a cat?"

Rafisol nodded.

"Sis…we don't need a cat."

" _But why?_ " Rafisol whined (I think).

"Rafisol, do you know how much it costs to take care of a cat?" Melody asked her. "We can't even afford furniture, let alone a cat."

" _But Sig's giving them for free._ "

"Sorry, Rafisol. That was the last cat." Sig said. Making Rafisol whine (again, I think).

"And besides, Sis. Why would you want another cat? We already have one…" Ally then covered her mouth with a quick reaction with what she just said.

"Huh? Another cat?" Arle asked.

" _Onee-Chan. Are you thinking of Chupei?_ "

"Chupei?"

"Who's Chupei?" I asked.

"The twins' old cat." Amitie explained. "It died a while ago and Ally's still rather sensitive about it."

"L-Look, I don't want to talk about it. Let's just change the topic before I get really pissed off." Ally said while getting agitated.

"Okay, Ally. Sheesh. Calm down."

"Geez." Melody said. "To get worked up over a cat…"

" **H-Hey!** "

"Come to think of it, Kat hasn't made a noise since we got him." Peruvis stated.

We all looked at Rei, who looked at Kat. And vise-versa.

"Hi, Kat. I'm Rei."

" _Meow._ "

"He meowed!" Amitie said.

"In a cute way, too." Arle added.

Rei smiled at Kat as he brought him closer to his face. Kat then started rubbing his onto Rei's, all while purring.

" _ **So cute!**_ " Most of us shouted. Sig, Chu, and Harpy weren't paying attention and Yu, Melody, and Akuma didn't find it interesting at all.

"Well, Rei." Akuma said. "We still got the rest of the day until this event ends, **KUMA!** So, keep your new pet under control, **KUMA!** "

"Kay." Was all Rei said while still staring at Kat. Meanwhile, the cat was now playing with Rei's nose like it was a cat toy."

" _Aw!_ " Most of us went.

"Oh, please…" Melody retorted.

"Anyway, I'm going on a break." Amitie said. "Since Rei didn't bring any food, I'll have to go get it myself. Want me to get you anything, Yu?"

 _Wait, can ghosts eat?_

"Sure, Ami. I'm starving!"

 _I guess then can…_

"Did she just call you "Ami"?" I asked.

"Yeah. I told her she can call me that."

"Huh? Wh-What happened between you two?"

"I'll tell you later."

I went silent. Gaining a small pout on my face as I looked away from my girlfriend.

"Raffi, are you…jealous?"

"N-No! O-Of course not! I-It's not like I would get jealous over your friendship with another girl or anything!"

"Tsundere."

" **I-I'm not a tsundere!** " I yelled at Feli. " **Also, what's a tsundere?!** "

Feli didn't answer and instead did a huge facepalm.

"Girly."

" **I-I am NOT girly!** " I yelled at Ally.

"You sure are easy to offend, Raffi…" Amitie said with a sweatdrop.

" ***clears throat*** Excuse me, Amitie. But before you go, I must have a word with you and Raffina, **KUMA!** " Akuma said to us.

"Sure, Akuma. What's up?"

"It's best if we do this in private, **KUMA!** "

We looked at each other in confusion, not knowing what Akuma was getting at. But we were now curious on what he wants to talk to us about in private. So…

"Uh…sure, Akuma. We could talk in private." I said.

"Good, **KUMA!** Arle, you come along, too. It's best if you hear this as well, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

"Uh…okay." Arle agreed. Looking just as confused as we were.

The three of us then followed Akuma to his office in the back near the library. Not knowing what this talk of his is about or why he wanted to talk to the three of us only in private.

 _Why do I have a bad feeling about this?_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Part 3 of the upload binge. And it's another instance of merging two previously short chapters. Like that last time, nothing much to say here.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	48. Return of a Threat

**Chapter 48 – Return of a Threat**

 **Arle's POV**

I somehow had a bad feeling when Akuma had asked Amitie, Raffina, and even myself for a quick talk. Not that I find Akuma a little scary (okay, maybe a little), but I had a feeling on what the talk was about. Which left a kind of sickness in my stomach.

 _Or maybe it was the pasta from that weird restaurant Ally took us earlier…_

We eventually reached inside Akuma's office and Akuma shut the door behind him. The bad feeling from before was now even worse. I started sweating so much, it felt like I ate a really hot pepper or something.

"So, what did you want to talk to us about, Akuma?" Amitie asked.

"Well…you may not like this…but it's about the Puyo Hats, **KUMA!** "

" **Th-The Puyo Hats?!** " Amitie and Raffina shouted.

"More specifically, the Red Puyo Hat, **KUMA!** "

"Aw, geez! I thought we were done with that damn thing!" Raffina said.

" _Raffi…I'm scared._ " Amitie said. Raffina then held her as tight as she could.

While I was…really confused.

"Wait, what are the Puyo Hats? And why is Amitie scared of the red one?"

"Oh, right. We never told you." Raffina said. "Akuma, you mind if I explain real quick?"

"Go ahead, **KUMA!** "

"Explain what?"

"Well…before you and the whole Dimensional Mirror incident, Ami and I dealt with another one: The Red Puyo Hat. It was a strange beanie that we found in Oshare's shop one day. And once Ami put it on, it didn't come off. Not long after that, the hat did some strange powers. Copying her emotions and stuff like that. And later we found out that there were four others that also had strange powers. And so, we decided that finding the other four would get the red one off of Ami's head. But then days later…it did something scary."

"Scary?" I asked.

"It reminded Ami of a past she never wants to remember. Even replicating the injuries she got from it. And when she tried to take it off, the hat electrocuted her…in an attempt to kill her."

" **K-Kill Amitie?!** "

Amitie was in mid tears as Raffina told me this story. And she held her tighter than before and kissed her on the forehead while petting her hair.

 _I feel really bad for Amitie. What she went through is a lot worse than me coming out of a weird mirror._

"Luckily, Yu and Rei, who had the Purple Puyo Hat, were able to rescue her. And with the help of Tarutaru, who had the Blue Puyo Hat, I was able to find Amitie and bring her home."

"W-Wow. Th-That's some story." I said, still in disbelief.

"Yeah, but it wasn't all bad though."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Raffina started to blush. "later that night, Ami and I confessed our love for each other. And we've been together ever since."

"I see. Well, at least it had a happy ending."

"Yes. But I fear that this one won't, **KUMA!** "

"What do you mean, Akuma?" Raffina asked him.

"Well, you see…the Red Puyo Hat…it escaped."

"E…

"E…"

" **E-ESCAPED?!** " Both girls shouted. Then Amitie collapsed in fear.

" **Ami! Stay with me! It's going to be okay!** " Amitie got back up after a few seconds and was held up by Raffina.

"How did that thing escaped?" I asked.

"It was a fight. A big one. I tried to keep it inside its case, but it was too strong for me. And it eventually broke free, **KUMA!** Where it went, I cannot tell you. But before it fled…it talked, **KUMA!** "

" **I-It talked?!** " Raffina asked. "Wh-What did it say?"

"I could not make most of its speech, but I did hear it repeat one word…"Revenge"."

" _R…Revenge?_ " Amitie collapsed in fear again.

" **AMI!** " Raffina shouted.

" _I-I'm okay, R-Raffi. J-Just a bit…s-scared._ "

" _A bit_ " _is an overstatement..._

"Aw, geez! What am I going to do?! No doubt about it, that hat is gonna try to kill me again!"

" **Like hell, it will! I'll burn that damn piece of fabric to a crisp before it could lay a hand on MY Ami!** "

" _ ***sniff***_ _Raffi…_ " Amitie then hugged Raffina tight while being held in her arms.

"Is there any way for us to stop this Red Puyo Hat?" I asked.

"Actually, that's where you come in, Arle, **KUMA!** "

"Huh? Me? How?"

"The Puyo Hats come in five different colors: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Purple. In order to stop the red one, we need to use the power of the other four, **KUMA!** "

"I see…but there's only two."

"Peruvis has the Yellow Puyo Hat. Now that we're friends again...hopefully, us explaining to her what's happening will make her give it to us, or at least keep it safe until then." Raffina said.

"Okay. What about the green one?"

"The Green Puyo Hat is a special case. It actually came from your world, Arle, **KUMA!** "

"Huh? From my world? But I don't remember me bringing it or seeing the others with it."

"That's what's special about it, **KUMA!** The person who did bring it is someone you haven't found yet, **KUMA!** "

"Do you know who that could be, Arle?" Amitie asked.

 _Well…thanks to Draco, I do know one person that could possibly have it._

"Well…the only person I can think of is my friend, Witch. And knowing her, she was probably using it for something weird."

"Something weird?"

"Don't ask." I said with a sweatdrop.

"Okay, then…we'll just have to find her and explain what's happening." Raffina said.

"I don't really know much about these Puyo Hats, but I'll help as much as I can."

" **Thanks, Arle! You and Raffi are lifesavers!** " Amitie cheered.

 _Lifesaver, huh? Never been called that before. Even after all the stuff Satan has done over the years._

"You're welcome, Amitie. Just helping out a friend."

"Good luck, you three, **KUMA!** I'll keep studying these hats for more information, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

"Thanks again, Akuma!" Raffina said as we left the office to meet up with everyone else. So now, we have to find Witch and hope that she has this Green Puyo Hat thing so we can save Amitie from being murdered by a hat.

 _Geez, and I thought my world had problems…_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Part 4 of the upload binge and the last rewrite for a while. I've reached the point that I've wanted and next will be a brand-new chapter. And this set of new chapters were planned for a good long while, too.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	49. The Reviewer

**Chapter 49 – The Reviewer**

 **Melody's POV**

" _Ugh. I'm tired, Akuma. Can't I go on a break?_ "

"You were just on one, **KUMA!** "

" _Yeah, but selling these books is tiring. I'm ready for a nap._ "

"Like I said, you were just on one, **MA, KUMA, KUMA!** "

" _Ugh._ "

3 ½ hours in and I'm bored as hell. When I agreed to do this meet 'n greet thing, I didn't think I would be sitting behind a desk all day selling books, signing autographs, and answering questions about what I wrote. If this truly was the outcome of this, I would've just stayed home and slept for 2-3 days.

Yes, I can sleep for that long. It's a talent and I'm very proud of it.

"And you could've at least given me some decent food, Ami." I said to my daughter. "I mean, really? Up 'n Down Burger?"

"Hey, it was the only thing in the area and Yu and I were starving."

"The only thing? There's a Burrito Bell literally across the street."

"Bleck! Burrito Bell sucks."

" **Hey!** " Ally yelled. " **Do NOT talk crap about Burrito Bell!** "

"Even though it makes you crap?"

"That's the best part!"

" _Really?_ " Ami looked at her best friend with an annoyed look.

I took a bite of the burger Ami got me and did a sigh of mild satisfaction.

 _At least it's something other than instant ramen…_

"By the way, what were you girls talking about with Akuma?"

That's when Ami and Raffina tensed up with nervousness.

"Um…w-well…"

" _Raffina!_ "

We then saw Raffina's clone Raina heading our way. Well…more like **RUNNING** our way.

" _Raffina! I made it! I made…_ _ **whoa!**_ "

 ***THUD***

" _Owie…_ "

"Aw, geez." Raffina said to herself as she picked up her clone after she had tripped on her own footing and fell hard on the floor.

"Hey, Raina. You came by, too?" Ami asked.

" _Yep! I came to get my own copy of Melody's book! Can't wait to read it!_ "

"Can you even read?" Raffina asked.

" _Meanie! I can read! Like how I read Lidelle's diary that one time!_ "

"Wait, what?" Arle asked.

"You **READ** Lidelle's diary, Raffina?" Ally asked. Looking extremely pissed off.

" **Y-You and your damn big mouth!** " Raffina yelled at her clone.

"Wouldn't that be your mouth?" I asked.

" **Shut up, Melody!** "

While that was going on, Raina was giggling to herself. Which now makes me wonder if what she said was actually true.

 _If it isn't, then I think I've found something like a secret trait about this clone._

"A-Anyway, where were you? You were already gone by the time Feli and I were ready to go."

" _Oh, yeah! I was meeting up with my friend!_ " Raina then went silent for a bit. " _Well…I wanted to. I couldn't find her this morning and spent all day looking. Which made kinda forget about this thing._ _ ***giggle***_ "

"Uh-huh. And this "friend"…does she even exists?"

" _What?! Of course, she exists! Why would you think she doesn't, meanie?!_ "

"I don't know. Maybe it's because your childish brain made her up or something."

"Wouldn't that be your childish brain?" I asked.

" _ **Shut up, Melody!**_ "

" _ ***whine* Meanie! You suck!**_ "

"Raffi, come on. Don't you think you're being a little hard on her?" Ami asked.

"W-Well… _ ***sigh***_ I'm just still trying to get used to the fact that I have a derpy clone of myself."

" _ ***giggle***_ _Derpy._ "

"Why was that funny?" Arle asked with a sweatdrop.

"And besides. If this friend of yours is real, then how come you've never brought her over to introduce her to us? You've never even said her name."

" _She's always busy._ "

"With what?"

" _With work. I forgot what she does, but she has a job. And I help her sometimes! I'm like her personal assistant! Yay!_ "

"This just gets more and more unbelievable…" Raffina said with a facepalm.

" _Anyway…I gotta pee. You know where the bathroom is?_ "

"Down that hall over there to your left, **KUMA!** " Akuma said.

" _Thanks!_ " Raina then ran in the direction she was given. She tripped again, but then got back up and continued running.

" _ ***sigh***_ Why did my clone had to come out as an idiot? Arle, is that gem of yours trying to tell me something?"

"I can't really explain the powers of the Rubelcrack, Raffina." Arle answered.

" _ ***sigh***_ Great."

"Um…excuse me."

We all then noticed a girl with mildly long light green hair (with a crescent moon hairband making a ponytail in the back) walking up towards us. She wore a really old-looking dark blue sweater with a grey scarf around her neck. She also wore grey sweatpants with a purple diamond design on the front and light blue slippers.

She also carried a brown bag. Not sure what's up with that.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but…I'm looking for Melody Rose."

"Yeah, that's me." I said. "What's up?"

"Well, uh…I had just read your light novel and I actually wanted to tell you my thoughts of it face-to-face. If that's okay with you."

"Wh-What the hell? This girl already finished it?" Raffina asked.

"Geez. Talk about a speed reader." Ally said.

" _Fufufu._ I already got my first fangirl." I gloated. "So, kid. How was it? Best story ever, right?"

"Well, actually…I-I kinda hate it."

And then suddenly, my pure joy of this whole thing just shattered into pieces.

" **Wh-What?! H-Hate it?!** "

"To be completely honest…I don't really get the point of this book. It seems it has something to say, but…there's nothing. And then the title. "The Cheerful Liar and The Innocent Snob". You could make a better story in your head with a title like that."

" _Oh, really?_ " I asked.

"I mean, yes…people do say "Not every story needs a message. Some just exist to entertain." But honestly, this one failed at that. It isn't funny when it wants to be and it's not as engaging, either. The titular characters were rather irritating. Made me want to metaphorically shake my fist at times. It was a real drag to read through."

" _A drag to read, huh?_ "

"At one point their friendship shambles because the liar is a liar, and they get back together. And you know basically know that's gonna happen from the start. It's common knowledge that the 'liar revealed' trope is rather cliché and doesn't get subverted enough to keep things fresh."

" _Cliché?_ "

"All and all, it could've used a little more work. It's not bad. I mean, I've read worse than this. But I've also read better. If I have to give it a score, I'd give it a…4/10."

"W-Wow. 4/10…" Arle said.

"That's really low." Ally added.

"I'm actually being nice about this. Most people I know would've given this a flat out 1/10. And even I couldn't do that."

"I see."

"Well, now..." I said. "You seem to know what you're talking about. And just who are you, smartass?"

" **Mom!** " Ami yelled at me.

"What? I'm just saying. She " _ **seems**_ " like an expert. What nerdy elite college did you go to, huh?"

"Wh-What?" The girl was confused.

" **Mom! Shut up!** "

"What? You're seriously siding with her, Ami?"

"Melody, you are a grown adult woman arguing with a teenager. Act your age, **KUMA!** " Akuma then scolded me.

" _Ugh._ Fine."

"Sorry about my mom." Ami said to the girl. "She's known for saying whatever comes to mind without thinking."

"It's fine. I should really apologize, as well. I kinda went a little overboard with that review."

"A little?"

" _Mom…_ "

"Fine. I'll shut up."

"Still though, **KUMA!** " Akuma said. "You were detailed with your opinion of the book despite only reading it in one day, **KUMA!** How did you come up with such an opinion within a short amount of time, **MA, KUMA?!** "

"Oh, that? Well, I…"

" _I'm back!_ " Raina cheered as she suddenly came back from the bathroom.

 _She was gone for_ _ **that**_ _long?_

" _What's everyone talking about?_ " She then noticed the girl standing in front of us. And her eyes grew with excitement. " _ ***gasp* Marvie!**_ "

"Oh. Hello, Raina. I didn't expect to see you here."

" **Huh?!** " We all reacted.

"Wait, is **SHE** the friend you were talking about?!" Raffina asked her clone.

" _Yep!_ " Raina then rushed up to hug the girl in pure joy. " _Everyone! This is my best friend, Marvie!_ "

"Marvie?" We asked.

"W-Well, actually…my name's Marvett. Marvett Simmons."

"M-Marvett Simmons?!" Raffina asked.

"Y-You mean **THE** Marvett Simmons?!" Ally asked.

"So, you're just a kid."

" **Oh, my God, Mom! Can you be any more insensitive?!** " Ami yelled at me again.

"Who's Marvett Simmons?" Arle asked.

"Marvett Simmons is a world-renowned reviewer. Famous for being straight to the point with whatever she reviews. Whether it be movies, TV shows, anime, manga, and most recently, light novels."

"Wow. That's pretty cool."

"Yeah, I guess." Marvett said. "But I don't really care for all that fame and popularity. I just like to give out my opinion on things. To start conversations, basically."

"I see."

"So, uh, Marvett…how are you friends with someone like Raina?" Raffina asked.

"I actually ran into her while planning out my last review. She was…poking an acorn-looking frog for some reason."

" _It was so cute and squishy. Poking it was so much fun._ _***giggle***_ " Raina added.

"Poor Dongurigaeru…" Raffina said to herself.

"Anyway…" Marvett continued. "When I first met her, she was kinda…peculiar to me. Not like anyone I've met before. You could say that she caught my interest that way."

"I get it." Ami said. "So, you interviewed Raina and you ended up becoming her friend?"

"That's it. She's a very nice girl. Really friendly, too. Although…a bit light in the head, as I've noticed."

" _Wouldn't that be better than to be heavy-headed?_ " Raina asked.

"Um…I'm not sure if that's a thing, Raina."

" _Oh~._ "

"And she's told us that you let her help you with your work. Is that true?" Ally asked.

"Well, I figured I could have a little help. And she seemed really interested, too. I mainly have her tag along to events such as this one, but…I was running a bit late today. I was lucky enough to run into her here, anyway."

" _Yay! Glad you came, Marvie!_ " Raina cheered as she hugged this girl once again.

 _Geez. These girls are basically sucking up to this girl. Now I_ _ **really**_ _rather be home sleeping than to be here._

"By the way, Melody. I really wasn't trying to offend you or anything. I actually admire you for becoming an author. It's just…this one could've been better."

"Tch. You really have guts for coming over here and criticizing a first-time author's published work, you nerdy little smart…"

 ***BANG***

" **Ow! The hell, Ami?!** "

" _You know exactly why the hell. Behave yourself, damnit._ " Ami said after slamming my hand hard with her own.

"If I can offer some advice, Melody…"

 _Oh, great! Cause I can_ _ **DEFINITELY**_ _listen to a teenager telling me how my writing is total crap all day! I have all the damn time in the world!_

"…I know this great author that you can get some pointers on. Her name is Rose Field and she just started writing shortly before you did. Her first story "Puyo Lovers" is a smash hit online. Maybe you ask her for some tips."

 _S-Seriously?! This girl is_ _ **REALLY**_ _pissing me off!_

"Why the hell would I do that when Rose Field is **ME** , you little…" I then covered my mouth in a quick panic. Realizing what I had just said.

And how I just screwed myself over.

"Rose Field?"

"What's **THAT** about, Mom?" Raffina and Ami asked me.

"Uh…"

"Really? You're Rose Field, as well?" Marvett asked. "It's kinda odd, now that I'm hearing this. You wrote such a masterpiece online. The deep bond Amy and Raffine have for each other. The sweet passionate love they show as they cuddle up and fondle each other. And the boinking scene wasn't forced at all. I could really sense the love in all of their actions. And it was quite steamy, as well."

" _The steaminess was the best part._ " Ally whispered to Arle.

" _I know. It even had me feeling hot._ "

 _Now is not the time for you two to be saying that!_

"That story…" Ami said.

"It sounds a lot like…" Raffina added.

…

…

…

…

" _ **Mom…**_ "

" _ **Melody…**_ " Both girls then turned to me with pissed off looks on their faces.

"Tch!" I began to panic. "W-Well, you really expected that I wouldn't do anything with it? I-It was really good and I wanted others to see it."

"And so, you **PUT IT ONLINE?!** "

"W-Well, it was easier than to do it physically. And besides…no one's going to figure out that it's based on my daughter and her girlfriend."

"You based it on your daughter?" Marvett asked.

 _Tch! Me and my big mouth!_

" _Mom…_ "

" _Melody…_ "

" **I FREAKING HATE YOU!** " Both girls had shouted at me greatly as they each threw a copy of my book at me. The both of them then left the building in a maxed-out rage. Leaving me with a big bruise on my head.

" _Ow…_ " I said as I slowly got up.

"U-Uh oh. I think I went overboard again." Marvett said.

" _No f****** sh*t, Sherlock._ "

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Another new character added to this merger. Also planned for a good while.**

 **Marvett is, you guessed it, a character from Puyo Quest. With so many of them (most of them original) that will most likely appear once in this entire series and have very little descriptions of their personality, it's just easy pickings to just take a few and expand on some of these.**

 **Plus, I'm sometimes too lazy to think of a character from scratch. So, there's that.**

 **Marvett's review was written by a friend of mine who I won't name (pretty sure he wouldn't want to be named, anyway) since he's more experienced with it than I am. He was a great help.**

 **Another original chapter is coming up soon. And it ties to a certain spin-off of this story that I really enjoy. And I didn't even write it. Thank for reading. Later.**


	50. A Girl's Naughty Desires

**Chapter 50 – A Girl's Naughty Desires**

 **Amitie's POV**

" **Gah! I freaking can't believe her! Posting a dirty story about her own DAUGHTER online! I'll never forgive her for this!** "

I was walking home alone and I was still raging about what Mom did with that dirty story she wrote. And though I was upset, Raffina was flat-out **PISSED**. She actually punched a few walls before we split up. Making a few dents in them, too.

 _I knew she was strong, but sheesh…_

" _Ugh._ Great. Now I got a headache. And with me yelling a few moments ago **PLUS** the regular migraines I get because of the telekinesis powers, it hurts even more. I'm just gonna call it a day. I don't need Mom's selfishness, Ally's pervertedness, or that Red Puyo Hat stressing me out even more."

I reached the house after a few more minutes of walking while trying to calm my migraine. And as I expected to be the only one there…apparently, I wasn't.

" _Oh. Hi, Ami._ "

"Rafisol? When did you get home?" I asked my soulless childhood friend.

" _A few minutes ago. I was tired, so I came home._ "

"How did you get inside? You don't have a key."

" _Feli used a charm to let me in. It was pretty cool._ "

"I-I see…" I gained a sweatdrop.

 _For a sweet and innocent-looking girl, Feli sure is sneaky._

"Anyway…I'm going to bed. I've had a _**long**_ day."

" _Where's Onee-chan and Melody?_ "

"Still at the library. They're the reasons why I've had this long day, in the first place."

" _Oh._ " Was all Rafisol said.

A couple of minutes after changing into my pj's (which was a simple black t-shirt and no pants. **Don't judge!** ), I was laying in my futon trying to sleep. I was doing so while Rafisol was playing a game she had downloaded on the Super Famicom. I asked what it was and she said it was a game called _Hyperdimension Neptunia_.

 _What a weird name for a game. How the hell did she find that?_

Even though I told Rafisol to lower the volume on the TV, I still couldn't sleep. My migraine pounding me like a sledgehammer. What Mom did is something that I won't get out of my anger-filled mind.

…

But…there is something else in there, too.

"H-Hey, Rafisol. Do you…know how to use a computer?"

" _Yeah. Why?_ "

"Can you…help me get onto Mom's computer? I need to uh…ch-check something."

" _Sure, Ami._ "

And so, with Rafisol guiding me halfway, I got on Mom's computer and searched on Google the site where Mom posted the dirty story. It didn't take long for me to find it. It was on a top 5 list of best new one-shot stories. It pained me to see this. Especially with how Mom went behind my back and posted it here instead of deleting it like I begged her to do.

But…in the end of it all, my mind was curious. Curious enough to let that go for the moment and see why people like Marvett liked it so much.

 _I'm going to regret this hard, but…here we go._

* * *

" _Eep!" It feels so wrong…but it's a little exciting. Her hands slowly creeping up to my shoulders, each touch tickled a little._

 _She reached for the top of my shoulder. Our lips were still locked. She's so good at this and I'm not! It's not fair…_ _ **OOH!**_ _Her hand slipped underneath my bra strap and was now gently rubbing my left boob._

 _Slowly and gently massaging it in small circles, I felt sweet romantic pleasure as I continued to fight my girlfriend's tongue for dominance. Her sweet peachy lips tasted so damn good. Like a_ _psychedelic girly drug that I can easily get addicted to._

 _Then with her other arm, Raffine began massaging my right boob. And at the same speed as the other one, too. It felt so good…on a whole new scale, even. Like it was on a professional level or something. I just can't get enough._

 _Then, without any warning, Raffine began nibbling on my neck. A jittered rush of sexual energy ran across my whole body as she continued to playfully bite my neck. Loud moans filled with pleasure left my gaping mouth as I was slowly losing control. The battle of dominance was slowly but surely being won by my lover._

 _And I wasn't ready to lose. Not yet._

 _I wrapped my arms around Raffine's back and slowly undid her orange & white flower-printed bikini top. Then pressed my tiny A-cupped breasts against her slightly bigger B-cups._

" _Kya! Amy…"_

 _It certainly caught her off-guard. It made her stop nibbling my neck and now it was my turn to be on the offensive. I pressed my lips against hers once more. Then, while she was distracted, slowly trickled my right hand down her soft wet body. All the way down to her bikini bottoms…and slipping inside to gently squeeze her elegantly firm butt._

" _Aaaah~…" Raffine was now the one releasing sexual pleasure-filled moans into the nightly atmosphere. And they making me more excited than they should. And with her going back to biting my neck, me squeezing her butt, and our semi-small breasts pulsing against each other, the ecstasy was getting contagious. And neither one of us could control ourselves anymore._

" _R…Raffi…I-I…can't. I'm…l-losing it…"_

" _M-Me…Me too. I-I'm…losing, as well…"_

" _Raffi…"_

" _Amy…"_

" _Amy…"_

" _Amy…!"_

* * *

" **YO, AMI! WAKE UP!** "

" **Gah! Wh-Wh-What?!** " I had suddenly came out of my own thoughts to see Mom, Ally, Arle, and Rafisol circling around me. "O-Oh. Hey, everyone. I didn't know you were back."

"Yeah, clearly." Mom said. "You were busy looking at my computer. And reading the story I posted online, too? Hypocrite."

" **I-I'm not a hypocrite!** " I yelled. "I was just curious on why this dirty story was so well-received. A-And so…I read it. W-Well, most of it."

"I see." Ally said. "And from the looks of it, you _**really**_ enjoyed it. _***wink***_ "

"Wh-What are you talking about?! I-I didn't enjoy it!"

"Oh, yeah? Then why is one of your hands groping one of your breasts and the other inside your panties?"

"H-Huh?!"

I don't know how it took me this long to notice, but Ally was right. My hands…they were in the same spots as she said they were. My right hand on my breasts and my left one down my panties. And it was wet and sticky, too.

"N…No…

…

 **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!** " I screamed as loud as I possibly could at the moment as I rushed towards the bathroom. Slamming the door and locking with such a frantic amount of speed.

" _Aw. It's okay, Ami. We don't hate you for being dirty._ " Ally teased.

" _Yeah, Ami._ " Mom joined in. " _It's like I said before. It's completely normal~._ "

" **SHUT THE **** UP!** "

"Wow! She dropped an F-bomb! Our little Ami is finally losing her innocence!"

"And it's about time, too!" Ally added.

" ****** YOU BOTH!** "

I could hear the two laughing hysterically as they were enjoying this round of teasing on me. I so wanted to come out and punch them both…but I was too embarrassed to ever leave this bathroom again.

" _ ***sigh***_ Honestly, you two…" I heard Arle said.

" _I don't get it. What was Ami doing?_ " Rafisol asked.

"Um…we'll…ex-explain it later, Rafisol."

" _Oh._ " Was all she said.

Meanwhile, I was self-locked inside the bathroom trying not to kill myself. My entire face was deep red from the embarrassment of what had just happened.

" _I-I…I-I can't believe it. What the hell? I did something that I said that I was never going to do_ _ **EVER**_ _in my life. Something that I scolded Ally for multiple times before…I actually did it._

 _I-I…m-mas_

 _m-mastur…_

 _m-masturba…_

…

…

…

 **GAH! I CAN'T EVEN SAY IT! IT'S TOO EMBARRASSING!** " I slammed my face onto the bathroom counter in shame.

" _Not to mention that I was technically walked in on. That's like every person's nightmare. Let alone, every teen's._ "

As I sat there, I had realized a few things. My migraine had finally gone away…but as a replacement, my body was hot and my heart was racing. Sweat was sliding down my body as I, even now, continued to think about that dirty story. I hated it because of its similarities to Raffina and me. But now…now that I've read some of it, the similarities are all I can think about.

" _W-Wow…t-to think that…I-I would go_ _ **THAT**_ _far with Raffi…I-I mean, I didn't! But…the me in the story did. Undoing her bikini top, squeezing her butt, dominating her in an all-out make-out battle._

 _A-And what she was doing to me…massaging my breasts and softly biting my neck…th-that's what they call a_ " _hickey_ " _right? R-Raffi giving me a hickey…just the thought of it is rather…_ "

I then felt my body getting hotter and hotter. My heart was pounding faster than ever before. And my… _y-you-know-what_ …was twitching beyond compare.

I…I couldn't ignore it anymore. The feeling was killing me. It was begging to be touched and I wanted to give myself the release I so damn well deserve.

And so…I removed my black t-shirt and completely soaked panties and was stark naked in the bathroom. And…without going into much details…

" _R-Raffi…I-I want…_

 _I-I want…_

…

 _ **I WANT TO HAVE SEX WITH YOU! RAFFIIII~!**_ "

…began my self-journey of losing my innocence.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **You remember how in chapter 42, Raffina gained some new…** _ **thoughts**_ **…about Amitie because of Melody's dirty story? Well, this is Amitie's side of it. And she had quite the bigger meltdown compared to Raffina. That's what losing your innocence does to you.**

 **That** **Hyperdimension Neptunia reference wasn't just for a joke. I've recently gotten into the series (It's an RPG series, for those who don't know). Might write a story based on it. Not sure. Too early to say much else.**

 **So, this is definitely the last chapter of the year. And the last update of any Puyo stories the year. And probably most of January. I'm putting this and Feli's Summer Break on hold to work on 2 new stories that I have planned. Though, one of them is more of a side project than an actual story. Still excited for it, none the less.**

 **So, here's a problem that's been running on for a while. Fanfiction's PM system just stopped working. Meaning, it doesn't tell you if you've gotten a message. It's been going on for weeks and as far as I know, it still hasn't been fixed.**

 **So, if you have any questions or comments about my current and future stories, try using AO3. I still get notifications from that site. Or if you don't have AO3, search up my name on Tumblr. Though, AO3 is your best chance for a response. I don't check Tumblr every day.**

 **Thanks for reading. I wrote A LOT of stories this year (as I'm now realizing) and I hoped you enjoyed at least some of them. See ya next year! Later.**


	51. Lust of Puyo Puyo

**Chapter 51 – Lust of Puyo Puyo**

 **Amitie's POV**

 _Last night…I never thought I would do such a thing. I get mad at Ally for always bringing it up, but the fact I actually did it myself…for the first time…and if felt so good, too…_

" _ ***sigh***_ _I'm such a freaking hypocrite._ "

"How are you a hypocrite?"

"Huh? Oh sorry, Raffi. I was just talking to myself."

"I see."

 _ ***sigh***_ _Get real. I'm thinking about how I masturbated to my girlfriend while she's sitting right next to me. I really have lost my innocence._

After what happened yesterday at the meet & greet (still haven't forgiven Mom for it), Raffi and I decided to meet up at the park to be alone for a while. After what I did last night, I _**really**_ need someone to talk to. And who else other than my girlfriend, right?

" _ ***sigh***_ Damn. I still can't get what Melody did out of my head." Raffi said.

"Yeah, me neither. You know, she still hasn't apologized yet? When she got home, she just went straight to bed and she was still asleep when I left."

"My God. Ami, I'm sorry to say this, but your mom is something else."

"It's fine. I've got a friend back in Konoko Valley who thinks the same thing. Although, she mostly tolerates Mom's antics. A lot more than I do, to be completely honest."

"I see…" Raffi gained a sweatdrop. "…Your friend must be stone-cold then."

 _Ayumi isn't stone-cold. But she's definitely the mature one in our group._

"S-So, um…what happened yesterday…"

"Y-Yeah." I said. "I-If it wasn't for Marvett, we still would've been in the dark about it."

"And the fact that literally everyone else knew about it _**really**_ pisses me off."

"Yeah, no kidding. Everyone we know reading a story based on us doing…"

It was then that I froze up completely and grew a huge blush on my face. Suddenly remembering what I did last night. The fact that I actually did such a thing was still shocking to my innocent mind.

…

Although…with what I'm about to ask, can I really call myself innocent at this point?

"H-Hey, Raffi…" I turned to her. Only slightly noticing the huge blush on her face before she quickly turned to face me.

" **Y-Y-Yeah, Ami?! Wh-Wh-What's up?!** "

 _What was with that panicked response?_

"Um…well…q-quick question, really. H-How long have we've been…you know…been a couple?"

"Huh? What's with the random question?"

"J-Just…something on my mind recently."

 _Recently? Crap, I might have said too much already!_

"Well…we got together back in January. And we're in July now, so…6 months. Why, did you forget?"

"N-No, of course not! I was just seeing if you remembered, dummy!"

"I see…"

 _Gah! I'm getting off-topic here! I need to get this over with! My body can't take it much longer~…_

"W-Well…seeing how it's been that long, some things have come to mind. M-Mainly about our relationship."

"H-Hey…y-you're not… _br-breaking up with me, are you?_ " I saw tears beginning to form in her blue eyes. Which made me panic greatly.

" **Nonononono! Raffi! That's not it at all! I would NEVER break up with you! I love you too damn much to do such a thing! Promise!** " And then, in the midst of said panicking, I hugged Raffi as tightly as I could.

And I instantly regretted it.

For one, her skin…it's so soft and smooth. Her body was warm and her hair smelled like peaches. My own body was getting excited over it all. My heart was racing, my mind was going blank, and my… _ **th-that area**_ …was soaked beyond compare.

 _At this rate, I'm going to go insane…_

"Wh-What I wanted to say was…I-I want to take our relationship to the next level."

" _ ***sniff***_ _N-Next level?_ " Raffi asked while still trying to calm down.

"Y-You know. Wh-What couples do when they _**really**_ love each other. Th-The ultimate way to…show your true love to that person. A-And that person only."

Raffi didn't say anything for a bit. Instead, she just stared at me with a huge blushed face and the biggest look of shock I've ever seen her make. And it was really unnerving.

"A-Ami…a-a-are you saying…y-you want to…h-have sex with me?"

Now I was the one who didn't say anything. My face was blushed and I was sweating with regret. But in the end…I shook my head yes. Answering Raffi's question.

"W-Wow…" She then went silent again. This time, for a lot longer than before. I was so freaking nervous of what her answer would be. Would she agree to it? is she gonna call me a perv? Would **SHE** break up with me?! The amount of possibilities out there are making my migraine come back again! The damn suspense is too much!

"A-Ami…m-me too."

"H-Huh?"

"I-I said…m-me too."

…

…

…

"Wha…What?" I was still stunned from the response.

"D-Don't make me say it! I-It's…embarrassing."

"I-I understand, but…Raffi…d-do you really…"

" _A-Ami, please! It's true, okay?! I-I…w-want to have sex with you, too._ "

Both of our faces were quickly getting redder as now we had both said that one dirty word we believed would never come out of our mouths. We didn't really know what else to say at that point.

…

Well…nothing except…

" _R-Raffi…_ "

" _A-Ami…_ "

…

…

" _Th…Thank you._ " We shared a kiss and continued our long hug. We both needed some time to calm ourselves from the pervy confession we just made to each other.

But…pervy or not, it's one huge step to deepening our love.

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

" **G3! G3!** **G3!** **G3!** **G3!** **G3!** **G3!** **G3!** "

" **Geez, Ally! Shut up! We get that you're going to G3!** " Ami yelled at the girl.

" _ ***giggle***_ Sorry, Ami. I'm just so excited. Today's finally the day we go to G3!"

" _Yay._ " Rafisol cheered (kinda).

"Wait, so…this G3 thing is tomorrow, but you're leaving today?" Arle asked.

"It's a long drive to Ryoku Isle. So we're leaving early. We would've taken the train, but we…don't have much money."

" _I have money. Onee-chan spent hers on snacks._ "

"Sis!" Ally yelled at Rafisol.

"Wait, huh? Ryoku Isle?"

"That's the Konoko Valley equivalent in a different district of towns." I said. "That one specifically is a tropical town near the ocean with a bunch of capes and coves around. It's also Feli's hometown."

"Really? That's where Feli's from?" Ami asked.

"Yeah. Kinda get why she got banned from the school there. That town only has one high school."

"I see."

" _Wow. Feli's hometown._ " Rafisol said.

"You seem pretty excited about that, Rafisol. You and Feli are friends, right?"

" _Yeah._ "

"Maybe you can take some pictures and show them to Feli." I suggested. "I'm sure she knows a lot about that place."

" _Okay._ " Was all she said. With an added small smile this time.

"Well…I don't really get it. But good for you guys, I guess." Arle said.

 ***HONK* *HONK***

"Come on, girls. The sooner, the better." Melody said as she sat in her car waiting for the Nakano sisters.

"Alright! Once we go get Lidelle, Ringo, and Peruvis, it's off to G3! Come on, Sis!"

" _Okay, Onee-chan._ " Rafisol said as she followed her twin into the car.

"Later, Arle! _Have fun you two!~_ _ ***giggle***_ " Ally gave a wink as she said that last sentence in a suspicious tone. The three of us then watched as they drove off from the house down the street.

" _Cr-Crap. Is she onto us?_ " I whispered to Ami.

" _Possibly. I wouldn't put anything perverted pass that girl._ "

 _Damnit. Now, I'm worried._

" _Let's not think about her for now._ " Ami whispered to me.

" _Way ahead of you, Ami._ "

"Hey, what are you guys whispering about?" Arle asked.

" **N-NOTHING! NOTHING AT ALL! ESPECIALLY NOTHING DIRTY! PROMISE!** " We both shouted.

…

…

…

"Okay(?)…" Arle looked at us with a really confused look on her face. I could tell that she believed we were acting weird. But she soon shrugged it off. Much to our relief.

"S-So, Arle. What are you going to do now?" I asked.

"Going over to Sig's, I presume?" Ami asked.

"N-No." Arle blushed a little. "I-I actually got a job interview today."

" **YOU** got a job?" We both asked in total shock.

"Why not? I mean, I'm running out of these Credits you guys use in this world. Since I'm truly a resident of this world forever, I might as well earn my own money."

"You…do have a point." I said.

"What kind of job is it, Arle?" Ami asked.

"Um…well…I-I can't really say. A-Anyway, I gotta go. See you guys later." We then watched Arle run from us down the block. The fact that she had gotten a job was mind-blowing to us.

But it wasn't something we wanted to think about right now.

"W-Well…th-that's everyone." Ami said.

"Y-Yeah…i-it is." I said.

…

…

"Hehheh…wh-who would've thought that the day after we decided to do this, everyone would be off doing their own thing?"

"Hehheh, yeah. Pretty lucky that we have the whole house to ourselves." Ami said. "Convenient, too."

"Y-Yep."

The tense mood didn't go away after that. All parts of my body were excited as all hell. My mind, my heart, my womanhood that I've been playing around with for the past week or so.

 _There is no way in hell I'm telling Ami that…_

Point is…I've been waiting for this for a damn long time. And when I heard from Ami's own mouth that she wants to do it, too…that night…my excitement for it all increased to a whole new level.

 _I've really gone off the deep end with my desires. All freaking thanks to Melody and that damn story of hers._

…

 _Wh-Which…r-reminds me…_

"H-Hey, Ami. Y-You know…the stuff in that story. W-We're most like going to reenact those things. W-Well, most of them. We don't have swimsuits or a hot tub. M-My point is…a-are you truly ready for this?"

Ami didn't answer right away. She didn't even look at me. I didn't know what she was thinking at this very moment. Hell, she could be thinking how much of a pervert I am for agreeing to this so quickly and possibly wants to back out.

And I can understand if that's the case.

But suddenly…I felt my hand being grabbed. It was grabbed and held onto as tightly as she could possibly could. I then looked at Ami while she finally looked at me.

The only difference being…she had a serious look on her face.

"Raffi…what I said at the park yesterday…I really mean it. I want to do those types of things with you. You're my girlfriend and there's no other person I would rather do it with. You're my one and only true love. _Let me make it clear for you…how much I love you._ "

Ami then got closer to me and we passionately kissed each other for a short while. The fact that not only had she just quoted a line from her own mom's dirty story, but she said it in such a seductive tone…I can believe I'm about to say this, but…it _**really**_ turned me on.

And after that kiss, I knew I was ready. For real, this time. And I knew my girlfriend…my one true love…was ready, as well.

Without saying a word…without releasing a sigh…without any amount of regret whatsoever…we both went inside the house. Hand 'n hand. 100% ready to make the biggest and most grown-up decision I've ever made in my entire life.

 _Ami…I…I love you._

All for my one true love.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Amitie and Raffina are about to perform the ultimate ritual of love. A huge step for a couple who have been through so much together up to this point. Hope it goes well.**

…

 _ **Well…**_ **I say that. But you can actually read how it all goes down right now! Just look for "Love of Puyo Puyo CHU!" by R_Fielding. I gave her permission to write it about a year ago (around when Tsu was in the works) and it's completely canon. It's a good read, I can tell you that.**

 **Two more new chapters remain then it's back to rewrites. I did say that this story wasn't going to be worked on this month, but…I had nothing else to work on. Kinda struggling with one right now.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	52. Pretty Witchy Arly-chi

**Chapter 52 – Pretty Witchy Arly-chi**

 **Arle's POV**

 _What was with those two? They were kinda acting weird before I spoke up. What did they mean by Ally being "on to them"?_

…

…

…

 _Oh, whatever. It's probably something about their relationship. I can't think about those two today, anyway. I've got something else on my mind._

"Let's see…she said to meet her right around here…Oh, there she is. Hey, Feli!"

"Arle! You made it. Thanks again for taking this job with me."

"No problem. I should be thanking you for asking me to do it. I've been running low on these Credits that this world uses."

"Oh, yeah. I guess you didn't get much when you first came here."

"Much like with the rest of my stuff. But I've moved passed that by now."

 _But I still miss Carby…_

"I see."

Today, I was meeting up with Feli to start working at a job she had found recently. She said that the person that's hiring is a friend of Lemres and is also studying magic at this place called a "community college".

I'm not really sure what this place is. But it sounds like this world has magic, too. At least it's not **completely** different from home.

"So, who's this friend of Lemres that you told me about?"

"I'm not sure. He didn't describe the person. All he said was that the person was a friend and a classmate…and that the same person is hiring at their shop."

"So, you just took it?"

"Hey, I need money, too. I need supplies for the new school year and food for Bal. _Not to mention that I could use some more stuff for my charms. Fufufufu._ "

"Your charms? Like the one you did to Melody's computer, right? What was it called again?"

"Occult Art of Divination. I've been studying and practicing it for about two years now. So, I'm pretty much still a novice at the whole thing."

"I see."

"Raffina told me that you're a sorceress that uses magic. Is that true?"

"Yeah, it is. I was one of the best in my world." Then a thought came to me. "So, is that why you asked me to join you in this job?"

"Well, kinda. I mainly want to see these magic spells for myself. But on the other hand…if this is a friend of Lemres, then this job might be magic-related. So, when I heard that you use magic, I thought it was perfect for you."

"That…does make sense." I said after giving that some more thought. "Then I really gotta thank you for letting me take this job with you, Feli. If I can improve my magic, even in this world, then it'll really make me happy."

 _Mainly because…I can keep my promise to this Rubelcrack. To Carby._

"You're welcome, Arle." Feli said with a smile. "Glad to help out a friend."

" _ ***giggle***_ Same here, Feli." I returned the smile.

* * *

After a few more minutes of walking, we arrived at our destination. An old-looking building near the outskirts of town. Not gonna lie, it gave me an unnerving feeling. As if I should turn back before it's too late.

 _And I've had_ _ **MANY**_ _of those situations back home, too._

"Uh…Feli. You sure this is the place?" I asked her.

"I followed the directions Lemres gave me. But I do agree. This place looks…off."

"Maybe we can find another job somewhere or…"

 ***CRASH***

" **Wh-What was that?!** " I asked as we heard a crashing sound coming from inside.

"Uh…hey, Arle. Why is your necklace glowing?"

"Huh?" I looked at the Rubelcrack gem around my neck and it really was glowing. I was about to panic. Thinking that it was going to do something again. But after like a minute of not doing anything besides glowing…it kinda got me thinking.

 _No way. The essence of the Rubelcrack. I can feel him talking to me. Is it really…him? Telling me to go inside this place?_

…

 _C…Carby…_

"Hello? Arle?"

"H-Huh?" I came to once I heard Feli's voice.

"You okay? You started crying all of a sudden."

"O-Oh, um…" As I was whipping off the tears from my face, a sudden burst of confidence came to me as the Rubelcrack continued to shine. I can't really say if this is true or not, but I have a pretty good feeling about what it's telling me to do.

"Come on. Let's go see what that was."

"Huh? You want to go in there?"

"Why not? You brought me here."

"Look, Arle. I like creepy places as much as the next girl. But even I draw the line at places like this. I really don't think it's a good…"

 ***CRASH* *BOOM* *BANG***

"More noises. I'm gonna go check it out."

"A-Arle! Wait! _***sigh***_ Damnit." Feli said as followed me inside the creepy old-looking building.

* * *

"Hello? Anyone here?" I said as I entered through the old squeaky door.

"Damn, this place is dusty. It's going to ***achoo*** _…flare up my allergies._ _ ***sniff***_ " Feli whined.

"How long has this place been here?"

"No clue. I never lived in Primp until recently. There are stuff here that I don't even know."

"I see."

Looking around the place, it looked like some kind of store. Tables and shelves with weird stuff on them (granted, they were dusty as hell). and there was even a front counter with an old cash register on it (again, dusty as hell).

"It doesn't look like anyone is here, Arle." Feli said.

"If that's the case, then what were those noises? The booms, the crashes, the bangs…"

 ***RUMBLE***

"Huh?"

 ***RUMBLE***

 ***RUMBLE***

"And now we got rumbles." Feli said.

"It came from behind the counter." I said.

We both inched closer to the old dusty counter as the rumbles continued to go on. They kept getting more erratic as we got closer and closer. And as we inched over the counter, approaching a huge pile of boxes…

 ***RUMBLE***

 ***RUMBLE***

 ***RUMBLE***

…

…

…

" **GAH!** "

" **WAAAAAAA!** "

"Woah. There are people here." Said a girl with long orange hair and amethyst purple eyes. "Sorry for scarin' ya just now. These here boxes fell on top of me and I got stuck underneath."

"I-I see…" We both said. Still trying to recover from the jump scare as the mysterious girl came from underneath the boxes. It was then that we saw the outfit she was wearing. A tank top with pink on the front and white on the back, black shorts with white paw prints, and a pair of blue & white flip flops.

It was…kinda cute. To be perfectly honest.

"So, imma go on a whim and say that y'all are the girls good 'ol Lemres told me about, right?"

"Uh…yeah." Feli said. "I'm Feli Kuromi. And this is Arle Nadja."

"Hello." I added.

"Nice to meet ya, Feli and Arle. Name's Kish Mandel. Imma newly appointed witch."

"Huh?! You're a witch?!"

"That 'bout right, good suga. I graduated from the Witch Academy just last year and imma 100% official."

"Wow…"

"You seem pretty amazed by hearin' such a thang. You into witches, too?"

"Oh, um…I just happen to know another witch, that's all."

 _Granted, her name_ _ **IS**_ _Witch. But I guess it still counts._

"Woah…you even know a witch. My boy Lemres was right 'bout you girls. Come along now. I'll give ya a grand tour."

" _Grand tour of what? This place is a dump._ "

" _Feli!_ " I whispered to her.

" _What? It's true. This place may not be scary, but it sure is dirty. Let's just bail already._ "

" _Look I agree with this place being dirty. But we can't leave. I feel like…I have to be here._ "

" _Huh? For what?_ "

" _Well…_ "

"Hey, come on come on. Don't let ya girls get left behind now." We heard Kish's voice.

"C-Coming. _Just trust me on this, Feli._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ _Fine, I guess. Maybe 10 more minutes or so._ "

" _Thanks a lot. I'll explain why soon._ "

" _Yeah, you_ _ ***achoo***_ _better._ "

* * *

We then followed the weird girl known as Kish deeper within this place. And the more we went in, the more the Rubelcrack glowed (and also Feli continued sneezing. But that's beside the point). It was getting harder to hide it. So I had to put it in my pocket so it wouldn't be a distraction.

 _Geez. If this glowing really does mean Carby is here, then he sure is talking a lot. Even in the afterlife._

"So, uh…Kish, was it? How exactly do you know Lemres?" Feli asked.

"He didn't tell ya? Imma classmate of his. Right ova at the commune college."

"It's "community college"."

"That's a what I said, ain't it?"

"Uh…"

"You sure have a…interesting accent there, Kish." I said.

"Oh, yeah. Imma not from here. I lived in the Noboruru Highlands before commin' on down here."

"Noboruru?" I asked.

"It's a country town in the same district as Ryoku Isle, the place where I'm from." Feli explained.

"Oh, I see."

"That 'bout right there, Feli. I may be livin in the city now, but imma country girl at heart. Nothing gonna change that, y'all."

"If that's the case, then why did you stay in the city after graduating, started attending community college, and I'm guessing bought this dump of a store?"

"Sorry, Kish. But she's right. This place is a mess." I added.

"Eh, I don't blame ya for thinkin that. This place is a pigsty. But I kinda need it for something, you know."

"For what?" We asked.

"You see here, girls. Imma studying to be a witch instructor."

"Witch instructor?"

"That 'bout right. There been a huge shortage of witches nowadays and I wanna fix that by becomin' a witch instructor. Thang is…becomin' one ain't easy. In order to start studyin' to be a witch instructor, I need a couple of witch apprentices."

"Witch…apprentices?" It was at that moment that Feli and I realized what this job was about. And it was rather hard to believe.

"W-Wait, wait, wait. Hold on. Lemres referred us to a job…to become witches?" Feli asked.

"A witch? Me? B-But I'm already a sorceress. Why would Lemres want me to be a witch alongside that?" I was greatly confused. Was this what the Rubelcrack was telling me? To become a witch? Why would it tell me that? Was I missing something important here?

…

 _N-Now that I think about it…why am I listening to the gem of my dead best friend? It's just gonna make me sad again. I really do miss him, though…_

"Hmm…you said your name was Arle, right? You're the girl that came out of that there Dimensional Mirror, ain't that right?"

"Huh? You know about the Dimensional Mirror?"

"Lemres did yap around 'bout it. He also said somethin' 'bout a gem called a…Rubercrakku?"

"R-Rubelcrack. I-It's pronounced Rubelcrack."

"Oh. Sorry 'bout that. Big 'ol city words ain't my specialty."

" _City words…?_ " Feli and I gained a sweatdrop.

"Anyway…you gots the thang, right?"

"Uh…yeah. I have it right here." I said as I took the Rubelcrack necklace from my pocket. "It's been glowing ever since we came here and I honestly don't know why."

"Hmm…" Kish inspected the gem. "…I ain't no expert on gems and stuff. But I do sense an aura in this here gem. Like the soul of a lost friend or somethin' like that."

" **C-Carby?!** "

"Wait, you can sense that?!" Feli asked. Just as shocked as I was…but for a completely different reason.

"I can too. It be a special power you get once you become a witch."

"Woah…"

"S-So, you really can sense Carby in here?" I asked.

"Who's Carby?"

"Carby…o-or rather Carbuncle…is my best friend. He and I were together before we got sent to this world by that mirror. But shortly after coming here, I learned that… _he didn't survive the trip._ "

"O-Oh. Arle, I'm so sorry…"

" _I-It's okay._ " I said as I tried to hold in my tears. "This gem managed to survive. It rested on his head. So, I kinda have a part of him with me at all times. And as long as this Rubelcrack necklace is with me…I can be happy as I start a new life here."

"Wow, Arle…"

"That there is real deep, Arle." Kish said.

"So uh, Kish. What exactly do I have to do to be a witch apprentice?"

"You still want to do it?" Feli asked.

"I…I think I get it now. Why this thing has been glowing this whole time. It's Carby. He wants me to become stronger. Not to give up on my magic because he's no longer with me. He knows that I'm sad without him. Near close to depression, even. Maybe he knew that he wasn't going to make it and sent his gem with me instead. And now…his soul is guiding me to a new and better life. So, if it says that I should do this, then I can't ignore it. It's Carby helping me as always and I'll respect it no matter what. This is my key…to a happy new life."

"Woah there, Arle…" Kish said.

" _Damn, you're just hitting all the feels today!_ _ ***sniff***_ " Feli said. I couldn't really tell if she was crying or if it's her allergies again. They sound so similar.

"So…are you still hiring, Kish?"

"If you are, then I want in, too. Thinking about it some more, it all sounds too interesting to pass up. I could possibly merge my charms with these witch spells. _Just thinking of the possibilities…Fufufufu._ "

"Woah." Kish said. "Feli's gone wacko like a cuckoo running on them sparky black doohickeys."

"You mean batteries?"

"That the name of those thangs? Huh. I never knew."

 _How has she never heard of a battery? Just how country is she?_ I gained a sweatdrop.

"Anyway. If you two girlies truly want to do this, then I ain't complainin'. Just give me a few minutes and I'll get ya both everythang y'all need for now. Wait right here y'all, ya hear?"

"Okay." We both said before Kish went off to the far back of the store to get this "thang" that we need.

"Our new boss is kinda interesting, huh?" Feli asked me.

"Yeah, no kidding. I've never met anyone with a country accent before. This world sure has some interesting people."

""Interesting" is a nice way to put it…" Feli gained a sweatdrop.

* * *

 **Feli's POV**

"Imma back!" Kish yelled out after we waited about 10 minutes or so for her to get back. "Sorry for takin' too long. Kinda misplaced these when I moved in this here place."

"Uh…what exactly are these?" I asked once we were given these badge-like things that had a lot of rainbow-colored buttons around it. And then in the center was a big yellow button with a musical note on it.

"This here is your Comet Summoner. Comes with them works. Dress, hat, boots, broom, and all them other stuff witches tend to have nowadays."

"You mean there's an outfit to wear?" Arle asked.

"Of course, there is. Though, I will tell ya girlies…it's kinda difficult to put it on for newcomers like yerselves."

"Difficult to put on?" We both asked.

"Well, ya see here…the thang's actually timed. Ya hafta put everythang on before the music stops playing. Or else it won't stay."

"Why is putting on the outfit such a tedious thing?" I asked.

"I don't have a clue. This thang here was made like that. It even took me a good while to do it."

"Do you still have yours? I mean, I know you graduated. But it could help to see it in action."

"Oh, yeah. Good point there, Feli. I actually still have mines, as a matter of that there fact. I could give y'all a preview on how to dos this thang here. Pay attention here now, ya hear?"

"We will." We both said.

And with that, Kish took out her Comet Summoner and pressed the big yellow button in the center. Like she said, music began playing in the background while an orange witch dress and hat spawned from the device.

Kish quickly shoved her head through the dress. Making orange pearl earrings appear on her ears. Then a magic ring made her shorts disappear and made a pair of orange boots replace her flip flops. After putting her hands through two more magic rings, making a pair of orange gloves with a rainbow bracelet on each appear on them, she grabbed her hat and placed it on her head. All on par with the music, I must add.

"Pretty Witchy Kishi-chi!" She yelled out while making a heart with her hands.

…

…

…

"W…Woah." Was all Arle and I could say to what we just saw.

"And that there is just 'bout it. Y'all girlies got questions?"

"Uh… **LOTS!** " I yelled out. "But I guess the main one is…do we have to do that pose at the end?"

"And with that tagline, too?" Arle added.

"Well, not really. That right there is just an instinct that just comes to ya whenever you finish. Not one person has ever done it without doing such thangs. So, it eventually became a staple."

"I see. So, we just gotta remember not to do this thing in public."

"It ain't bad once y'all get used to it."

"That one part is something we'll never get used to, Kish." I gained a sweatdrop.

"So, which one of ya girlies gets to go first?"

"I guess I will." Arle said. "I just press this button here, right?"

"That's the ticket. Give it a go." Kish said with a thumbs up.

"Welp…here goes." Arle pressed the Comet Summoner's big yellow button and the music began to play. A light-blue witch dress and hat spawned from the device and she quickly shoved her head through the dress. Making light-blue pearl earrings appear on her ears while a magic ring made her outfit disappear and made a pair of light-blue witch boots replace her normal ones.

After putting both her hands through two more magic rings, making a pair of light-blue gloves with a rainbow bracelet on each appear on them, Arle grabbed the witch hat and placed it on her head. I'm just shocked that she managed to all of that within the time limit of the music.

 _I mean, yeah. She's a sorceress. But still…_

"Pretty Witchy Arly-chi!" Arle yelled out while making a heart with her hands.

…

…

…

"D…Damn…" Was all I said. Too shocked to say much else.

"Geez. I don't think I'll ever get used to that last part." Arle said with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Well, slap me some butter and call me Lucy! You did it on your first try, Arle! That there is impressive." Kish said.

"Thanks, Kish. I'm rather surprised myself."

"Alright there, Feli. Now it's your turn."

" _ ***sigh***_ Here goes nothing." I said before pressing the button on my Comet Summoner. As the music began to play, a purple witch dress and hat spawned from the device. I quickly shoved my head through the dress as purple pearl earrings appeared on my ears. The magic ring made my black shorts disappear and made a pair of purple boots replace my pink & white ones.

After I placed both hands through the two other magic rings and receiving my purple gloves with a rainbow bracelet on each, I grabbed the witch hat with one hand and placed it on my head. Again, all within the time limit of the music.

"Pretty Witchy Feli-chi!" I yelled out while making a heart with her hands.

…

…

…

"Wow." Was all Arle said.

"H-Holy crap, I did it! I did it on the first try! Alright!" I then jumped up in excitement…which then revealed one **HUGE** problem with the dress.

"Ah! Feli!"

"Your panties are a bit exposed there, girly." Kish said.

"Huh?" I then looked down…and grew the biggest blush a single person has made in history. " _ ***really loud embarrassed scream***_ **Wh-What the hell?! Why is this dress so damn short?!** "

"That's just how them thangs were made. I advise not jumpin' or doing anythang acrobatic while wearin' these here dresses."

" _ ***whine***_ _Damnit!_ "

"Hey, by the way, Kish. How do we get out of these clothes?" Arle asked. "It's not as tedious as putting them on, is it?"

"Oh, no. You just push the button again and it all just comes off in seconds. None effort at all."

"Okay…" Arle and I pressed the button again and just like that, our normal clothes had returned. It really was as simple as Kish had said it was.

 _Still wish it was just as easy to put it on…_

"Well, then. Now that you got the dressin' part down, y'all are ready to learn the basics of being a witch apprentice."

"One quick question, Kish." I said. "You said that you're studying to become a witch instructor, right? So, once we eventually become witches, you'll pass your class?"

"That there's the gist of it, Feli. Though it can't be just y'all two. I need to make five of these here witch apprentices into witches by the end of this year. Otherwise, I ain't gonna be a witch instructor."

"Five, huh? We just get three of our friends to do this, right?"

"Unfortunately, it ain't that simple. The Comet Summoner is rather fickle about who becomes a witch apprentice. It has to feel that the fella is right for the title and not just some random scrub. So, it's a-gonna take a while to have the other three here."

"I see." Arle said. "Well, don't worry, Kish. We'll be good enough to show them the ropes."

"Yeah, Arle's right." I said. "We'll help you become a witch instructor. No problem."

"Oh, really?! Aw, thank ya much, sugas! I knew my boy Lemres wouldn't let me down! And he actually sent some real cuties, too."

"C-Cuties, huh?" We both reacted to such a compliment.

 _D-Does Kish…sw-swing that way?_

"Well, enough of my here rambling. I'll let ya girlies go for the day. Come back the day afta tomorrow now, ya hear?"

"Sure thing, Kish." We both said as we made for the front door. "See you later."

"Bye now, y'all!"

* * *

 ***SOME DISTANCE LATER…***

"Kish is a really interesting person, isn't she?" I asked Arle.

"Yeah, no kidding. I've never met anyone as unique as her before. A witch who wants to bring more witches to this world. Along with that accent, she's a pretty cool person."

"Yeah, she is."

 _Still can't believe she's Lemres' age, though…_

As we continued walking together, one thing from earlier came to mind. Something that…kinda touched me deeply.

"Hey, Arle. That thing you mentioned about your friend. It must be tough being here all alone, huh?"

Arle didn't answer. She just sunk her head low and gained a depressed aura around her body.

 _Cr-Crap! Did I strike the nerve too early?_

"A-Arle…"

"Ah. No, Feli. It's fine. It's like I said before. Carby may be gone forever…but as long as I have this Rubelcrack necklace, I'll always have some part of him with me."

"I see."

"And besides. I'm not the only one here. Thanks to that mirror, a couple of my other friends made it here, too. And with new friends like Amitie, Raffina, Lidelle, Ally, and many others…I can't truly be alone anymore. It may sound sappy and such, but that's how I feel."

"No, I get it. Completely understand."

 _Especially since I can somewhat relate to it._

"Thanks again for letting me in on this job, Feli. I'm really excited about this witch thing."

"Yeah, me too. It'll be fun to see where this goes. See you later, Arle."

"See ya, Feli."

We each said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Not only were we oddly satisfied with becoming witches in the near future, but I think I've made a strong bond with someone, too.

 _And yet, Amira said that I have no friends. She can totally suck it! Fufufufu!_

* * *

 **Arle's POV**

" _ ***yawn***_ I'm beat. I think I'll take a shower and call it in early."

I was near home after a…very interesting first day at work. And I was ready to relax. Being this tired did bring back some memories, though. I haven't felt this tired since I had to rescue Car…

…

…

…

No. If I finish that thought, I'm going to get sad again. I really need to move on if I'm going to accept this new life I've been given. I need to. For Carby's sake.

 _Carby…I won't let you down. I promise._

I approached the house and one thing came to mind that kinda made me happy.

 _Oh, yeah. Ally, Rafisol, and Melody are out of town. So, it's just going to be me and Amitie, huh? I wouldn't mind that…_

"I'm home!" I called out as I entered the house. But for some odd reason, I didn't get a response. Which is weird because Amitie is normally home around this time.

"Amitie. You home?"

I then started hearing odd noises coming from one of those empty rooms in the back. The sound was almost like…moaning.

"Amitie?" I called out again. This time getting closer to the room where the noise was coming from.

 _Is she in here? For what? It's an empty room._

With that question in mind, I opened the door with little hesitation…

"Hey, Amitie. Why are you in… **here?!** "

…And immediately wished I didn't.

" **Ah! Arle!** "

" **Th-This isn't what it looks like!** "

"A-Amitie…R-Raffina…n-naked…d-doing…m-making…h-having…s…se… _waaah…_ "

 ***THUD***

"Arle?! **Arle?!** " Amitie yelled.

" **Arle?! Are you okay?! Please wake up! Arle!** " Raffina yelled.

I felt their naked bodies close to me as I was slowly passing out. My dark and saddening memories of my dead friend slowly being replaced with a memory I **NEVER** signed up for to have.

 _This is all for Carby…somehow._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Arle and Feli begin their new jobs as witch apprentices for a college girl and Lemres' classmate named Kish. It sounded weird to them at first. But now they're willing to see where this goes.**

 **So, a few things with this chapter:**

 **You know how I say that I give a certain amount of time in advance whenever I add a character from Quest into these stories? Well, it wasn't the case with Kish. She's actually a catgirl. And I actually had a different character in mind to use for this chapter. But that character…ended up being a boy when I thought he was a girl. So, I had to find a new one last-minute and I came across Kish. Managed to make her work in the end.**

 **The concept of this chapter was based on a really old anime called** **Ojamajo Doremi. I came across it when (oddly enough) Quest did a collab with it sometime last year. Despite it being 20 years old at this point, it's pretty good (I mean so far. I've only watched 9 episodes as of right now. And there's 151 episodes + a movie. I'm nowhere near close to finishing it). Give it a watch, if you're interested.**

 **Last new chapter coming up next. Then it's back to rewrites. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	53. The G3 Experience

**Chapter 53 – The G3 Experience**

 **Ally's POV**

"Wow…we're here." Peruvis said.

"The biggest event of the year…we're actually here." Ringo said.

"Am I…truly dreaming?" Lidelle asked.

"No way, Lidelle. This is real." I said.

And then, with a huge deep breath, the four of us yelled out in pure joy:

" **WE'RE HERE! WE'RE AT G3!** "

" _Yay._ " With an added monotoned cheer from Rafisol.

"Geez. They're yelling like a bunch of nutjobs." Phoenix said.

"Ah, let them have their fun." Melody said. "This is a special moment for them."

"The biggest event in all of gaming! I've watched the official live stream every year and have always dreamed of coming here live and in person. **And now I'm actually here!** "

"And you said your mom got you these tickets, Ally? How did she afford 5 of them?" Ringo asked me.

"I'm…not really sure. I really need to ask sometime. Even I don't believe that she just had enough money for 5 tickets like that."

"I see."

"Aw, whatever. Let's think about that later." Peruvis said. "For now… **let's get inside this baby!** "

" **Yeah!** " The three of us cheered.

" _Yeah._ " Followed by a monotoned cheer from Rafisol.

"I'll meet you girls in a couple of hours." Melody said. "It's my first time coming to Ryoku Isle and I'm gonna give myself a self-tour."

" _Oh. Melody. Can I come?_ "

"Huh? What about G3, Sis? Don't you want to come?" I asked.

" _I do. But I want to take pictures and show them to Feli._ "

"Oh, yeah. This is her hometown." Lidelle said.

"Don't worry, Ally. I'll bring her back in time for the rest of the event." Melody said.

"Well…okay. You have fun, Sis. Just be careful, okay?"

" _Okay, Onee-chan._ " As Rafisol said that, she gained a small smile on her face. I didn't think taking pictures would make her this excited.

 _It's probably the fact that she's going to show them to Feli later. The two of them are friends, after all._

"Alright, girls. Let's go! **To G3!** "

" **To G3!** " Lidelle, Ringo, and Peruvis cheered with me.

" _ ***sigh***_ At times like this, I wish I could just freely leave this girl's body." Phoenix said with an exasperated look on his face.

"Good luck, Tortured Soul." Melody teased.

* * *

The four of us went inside the huge building and it truly was a sight to behold. So many different booths for all these different companies. Video games & gaming consoles, smartphones, computers, and the occasional technology stuff that makes us humans look lazy as hell. It was all combined in this huge convention center and I was going to see it all.

"Woah…so many gadgets gathered up in one place. It truly is an amazing sight."

"It sure is, Lidelle." Ringo agreed with her cousin. " _ ***sigh***_ I feel bad that Maguro isn't here, though. He would've been just as excited. Maybe even more."

"Knowing him, it'll probably be more."

"Geez. There's so much such here to check out. Where do we go first?" Peruvis asked.

"Well…I was thinking that we could go to…"

" _Woah! Ally!_ " I was suddenly interrupted by someone yelling out my name. And turning to see who said it was a huge surprise to me.

"Huh? Raina?"

" _Woah! So cool! I didn't think you all would be here!_ "

"I could easily say the same thing about you, Raina. What are you doing here?"

" _Oh, I came here with Marvie. She and I are working._ "

"Marvie? Wait, isn't that…"

"Raina!"

We then saw the girl Raina was talking about. Remembering the name "Marvie", seeing her made me understand why Raina was here.

" _Oh. Hiya, Marvie!_ "

"Raina, please don't run off randomly like that. This place is big and I don't want you to get lost."

" _Oops. Sorry, Marvie._ "

"Hey there, Marvett." I said.

"Oh. Ally, was it? Seeing you here is a total surprise."

"Yeah…I can't believe it myself."

"W-Wait a second, Ally. You **KNOW** Marvett Simmons?" Ringo asked.

"She was at Melody's meet & greet event. Gave Melody an in-person review of her book and _**really**_ pissed her off."

"I-Is she still mad about that?" Marvett asked.

"Well…she's calmed down since then. But I don't think she likes you all that much, Marvett."

"I see. I kinda had a feeling that was the case."

"Damnit. Marvett was there…and I could've gone myself if I didn't have to go to Hell with you and Aunt Yumi." Ringo said to Lidelle.

"We don't know where Satan is. So, you were the next best thing."

" _ ***sigh***_ The struggles of being a member of the Royal Family."

"Uh…go to Hell? Royal Family?" Marvett was confused.

"Oh, right." I said. "This is Lidelle Namanari and her cousin Ringo Ando. They're part of the Royal Family of Hell and Lidelle's the Demonic Princess. She's also my girlfriend."

…

…

Marvett didn't say anything and looked at me with a _**really**_ uncomfortably confused look on her face.

"Your girlfriend is the Demonic Princess of Hell?"

"W-Well…i-it does sound crazy, when you put it like that." I replied with a sweatdrop.

"If you think me being the Demonic Princess is crazy, then meet Peruvis Ryley." Lidelle said. "She's half devil and half tortured soul."

"Pretty badass, am I right?" Peruvis asked.

Once again, Marvett went silent. Probably thinking to herself just how freaking weird we all are.

"So…the Demonic Princess and her relative…a girl who's half devil and half tortured soul…"

"Oh, yeah. I have magical powers and my twin sister is soulless." I added.

"I see. Looks like moving to Primp Town ended up being a good idea, after all."

 _She's moved to Primp? I wonder from where…_

"So, uh…Marvett, was it? What exactly do you do?" Peruvis asked.

"Huh? You mean you've never heard of her, Peruvis?"

"No, not really. She looks like a regular teenage girl to me."

" _Well, she's more than just a regular teen girl._ " Raina said. " _She's a regular reviewer that goes around reviewing regular things like books and games. Pretty regular job, if you ask me._ "

"I see. That does sound regular."

"Um…I feel like the word "regular" is being used in a negative way here." Marvett said with a sweatdrop.

" _Don't worry, Marvie. You're my regular best friend. I would never make fun of your regular-ness._ "

"Th-Thanks, Raina." Marvett's sweatdrop only grew from there.

"So, you're one of the reviewers here for the event, Marvett?" Lidelle asked. "I didn't know you reviewed video games."

"Well…after what happened with Melody, I did some thinking on my own and thought that maybe I can be a little too harsh with my reviews."

"What? Too harsh? No way, your reviews are one of the best out there." Ringo said.

"Thank you for thinking that, Ringo…but try telling that to the hate thread that I apparently have about myself."

"Th-There's a hate thread?" The three of us were shocked to hear such a thing.

" _The people there are really really big meanies. They really don't like Marvie._ " Raina said.

"Wow..." Was all we said.

"Yes, it's true." Marvett continued. "Reading the stuff that was on there was not a pleasant experience. I was actually in a depressed state of mind for a few days and didn't do much of anything. I was even thinking of if I should quit reviewing altogether. But then…"

" _But then I came along and told her that you're not quitting!_ " Raina butted in. " _No best friend of mine is quitting because of some meanie bullies that don't like her! Like how I told Lidelle when she said she was gay…take their opinions and shove it up their ******* ass!_ "

"R-Raina…"

"Raina…" I spoke to the clone. "…I don't mind you swearing, but you're gonna have to keep your voice down."

" _Oh~. Okay!_ " She oddly cheered.

"Though…Raina is right." Marvett said. "She did talk me into not quitting and trying again. But with a more eased up style. She then told me about this G3 thing. I'm not really experienced, knowledgeable, or into video games or electronic stuff. But…I figured it was a good start to rebrand myself. And hopefully, get a better image in the people's eyes."

"I see. I get it now." I said.

 _Geez. Poor Marvett. She's been feeling depressed because people actually hate her for speaking her mind. It's a sad truth…but this is a thing people nowadays choose to live by. And it freaking sucks._

 _ ***Attention, gamers. The event's video game presentation is starting in 5 minutes. Witness world-premiere titles soon to be owned by fans worldwide.***_

"Well, Marvett. We can definitely help you out."

"Huh? You can?"

"We can?" The other three girls also looked at me with confused looks.

"You said that you're not knowledgeable with video games, right? Well, us four are. We'll tell you what to look out for."

"Oh, yeah. That should be easy enough. I'll help you out, Marvett." Lidelle said.

"So will I." Ringo said. "Thanks to my friend Maguro, my knowledge of video games holds no bounds."

" _ ***giggle***_ Wanna bet on that?" Peruvis asked her with a smirk on her face.

"You're on!" The two then shook hands. Initiating the bet.

"You all…will help me?" Marvett asked in shock.

"Of course." I said. "I mean…even though we just met not long ago, you are our friend, Marvett."

"Fr-Friend?" Marvett's eyes suddenly lit up from hearing that word. Which made me think of something in my mind.

 _Does she…not have any friends?_

" _Sure thing, Marvie! We'll help you, no problem!_ " Raina cheered while hugging her best friend.

"W-Wow, um…th-thank you…e-everyone. I-I really owe you all."

"Don't mention it." Ringo said. "Now, let's go before all the good seats are taken."

"Oh, yeah." Peruvis said. "There's going to be a bunch of nerdy fat guys hogging up at the good viewpoints so that they can orgasm over their "dream game" being revealed at long last."

"Oh, God. Those people are the worst. They never shut up." Lidelle said.

"I know, right?" I added. "I turn the volume down during the live stream just so my ears won't bleed. It's just one orgasm after another with those people."

" _And worst of all, most of them are male…_ " The four of us gained a disgusted look on our faces.

" _Hey, Marvie. What does it mean to orgasm?_ "

"Y-You're better off not knowing, Raina." Marvett answered with a huge sweatdrop on her.

* * *

With Marvett and Raina tagging along, we all went to the section where the video game presentation is usually held. We managed to get the good seats before the fat nerds did and had a good view of the stage and screen.

I was completely excited inside and out. For years, I've watched this event from Mom's laptop back home. But now, I'm actually watching it live and in person! You can't get better than this!

" _Holy crap! Soon, I'll live my dream of experiencing the G3 Video Game Presentation live and in-person with my own two green eyes…I can't contain my excitement much longer!_ **BRING ON THE GAMES!** "

"Geez, Ally. You're about to orgasm before the thing even starts." Peruvis said to me.

"O-Oh, right. Sorry."

"Um…can we please stop saying orgasm?" Marvett asked us. "It makes me feel weird about how casually it is used."

"Weird like how? Is your taco getting wet?" Peruvis asked.

"N-No. N-Nothing like that."

" _Taco? You have tacos, Marvie? I want some!_ " Raina said.

"N-No, Raina. I-It's not that kind of taco."

" _Huh? So, you don't have a taco?_ "

" **R-Raina!** " Marvett then began to blush hard.

"No, no, Raina. Marvett definitely has a taco. It's actually inside her…"

 ***PINCH***

" **Gah!** "

"Peruvis. I would **HIGHLY** advise you to not finish that sentence. If you know what's good for you." Lidelle said as she pinched Peruvis' neck as hard as she could.

And with her being the Demonic Princess, it must hurt like hell.

…

Wait…

" _ **O-Okay, I get it! I'll shut up now! J-Just please let go of my neck! It hurts!**_ "

Lidelle then complied and let go of Peruvis' neck. Letting the girl cry to herself as she treated the now swollen part of her neck.

"G-Geez, Lidelle." I said to her. "That was…something."

"Oh, it's just a technique I use to calm people down. I use it whenever a hellspawn goes rouge or whenever Ringo goes crazy with her thoughts."

" _It really really hurts…_ " Ringo whined as she began to cry with Peruvis.

"I-I see…" I gained a nervous sweatdrop.

 _Note to self. Don't piss off Lidelle._

" _ ***sigh***_ Are teenagers normally this perverted nowadays?" Marvett asked me.

"Um…kinda. I mean, we are that age. So acting like this is something we can't really ignore."

"I…see. _High school is going to be rough for me._ "

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself." Marvett said with a smile.

"Oh, um…alright, then."

 _She said something about high school, right? Marvett's starting high school, too? I wonder if she's going to Suzuran…_

 _ ***Ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for coming. The**_ _**Games & Gadgets Galore Video Game Presentation begins in 30 seconds. Please enjoy the show.***_

"Ooh. It's starting. Everyone, shut up." I said as I eagerly awaited the new announcements this year's presentation has in store for us all.

 ***ONE PRESENTATION LATER…***

 _Damn…well, that was a disappointment._

"That was quite the show, wasn't it?" Lidelle asked.

"It was pretty cool." Ringo said. "There were a few games I was interested in. What about you, Peruvis?"

" **OH, MY GOD! OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **THERE'S A NEW PANEL DE PON GAME COMING OUT! OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOD!** **OH, MY GOOOOOOD!** "

"Calm down, you loon." Phoenix said to her.

"Well, she's happy. What about you, Ally?" Lidelle asked me.

"Honestly…it was kinda "meh" for the most part. But once it got to that last game, it was total crap for me."

"Huh? Really, you didn't like it?"

"Nope. Not at all. And like I said, the last game ruined it for me."

"The last one? You mean the new Cardboard Plumber game?"

"A lot of people cheered for that game." Ringo said.

"Yeah well, I didn't. It was a crappy game, in my eyes."

Then at that moment, a bunch of people turned to us with semi-angry looks on their faces. Which only meant one thing:

I have a different opinion than them.

 _Oh, this is gonna be good…_

" _Uh…Ally. I think you should watch what you're saying around these people…_ " Lidelle whispered to me.

"Why should I? I have the right to speak my mind. And what's on my mind is that the game sucks ass."

"A-Ally!" Lidelle and Ringo yelled. Peruvis was still freaking out over the Panel de Pon game and Raina fell asleep midway through. The only person who wasn't doing much of anything was…

"You wanna say that again, girly?" One overweight fat guy said to me.

"What? You didn't hear me? I said that your precious Cardboard Plumber game sucks ass. It's a piece of crap that shouldn't exist."

"Are you stupid or something?"

"Don't bother. She's just a troll." Another person said.

"Huh. So, I'm a troll because I have an opinion that's different from the rest of you asswipes? Oh, that's nice. God, I freaking hate this fanbase."

"Well, this fanbase hates people like you. Who think they can make fact-less opinions on the games the rest of us true fans love or hate."

"There's a reason why your comments get dropped to the bottom of the comment pages. You should really learn from that." Some other fan guy spoke.

And I was beyond pissed at this point. Arguing with these people is a total pain in the ass. It's always the majority opinion with them anyone who says otherwise is either labeled as a "troll" or a "fanboy". Depending on the opinion.

It was about time that someone put them in their place. And I think I know how, too.

" _Hey, Lidelle. Take Raina and you girls get out of here._ "

" _Huh? Ally, what are you planning?_ "

" _Whatever it is, it's not worth it._ " Ringo added.

" _Just trust me on this. I know what I'm about to do is stupid as hell, but…I want to do this. Someone has to._ "

Lidelle looked at me for a bit. Then preformed a sigh of surrender-ness before kissing me on the cheek.

" _Please be careful, you damn idiot._ "

" _ ***giggle***_ _I will._ " I said with a smile.

" _You're a brave girl for doing this, Ally._ " Ringo said. "Come on, you two."

"Panel de Pon…Panel de Pon…Panel de Pon…Panel de Pon…" Peruvis was still zoned out over Panel de Pon.

" _Huh? What's happening? Are we getting those tacos now?_ " Raina asked as she was mildly confused from being woken up so suddenly.

Once they were gone, I turned my attention back to the angry nerdy fat people. I was now ready to go full-throttle on their asses.

 _Now…let's see how this goes._

"Fact-less opinions, huh?" I asked with a smug look on my face. "Well, maybe you fanboys will come to your senses when I get an official reviewer to comment on it."

"An official reviewer? Ha! Where are you going to get one _**this**_ last-minute?"

"Easy. I got one sitting right here." I then placed my arm around Marvett, who was listening to the whole thing. "I'm sure you all know Marvett Simmons, right?"

"A-Ally! Wh-What are you…"

"Marvett Simmons? You mean the ***** that criticizes everything with her bull**** reviews? Nobody wants to listen to her."

"She's hated for a reason. Get lost, you asshole." This time, it was a woman who looked _**WAY**_ too old to be here right now (probably around Melody's age) that was talking to us.

"A-Ally, please don't get me involved. My opinions are not welcomed here. Or anywhere, for that matter."

"Come on, Marvett. If you want to continue reviewing stuff, then you gotta learn to stick up to assholes like these. Express your own thoughts and don't give a damn about what they say about those thoughts. Who freaking cares if it's negative or not? The whole point of an opinion is to speak your mind. Don't let these people make you quit something you love to do. That just means…that they've won."

"Th-They've…won?"

"Meaning…they were successful in making you quit. Like how you were when you read that hate thread. Do you _**really**_ want that?"

Marvett went silent for a good bit. I was hoping that she took my words to heart. Because if she didn't…then my ass would be screwed right about now.

 _Come on, girl. Don't let me down._

"Well…I may not be a "true fan", as you all had called yourselves. But I do know a bad piece of work when I see one. And that new game is truly horrible."

" _ **What?!**_ " The group surrounding us only got angrier at that statement.

"The game mechanics are something I do not know a thing about. So I will leave that alone. But the plot of the story…it just has to be the **BLANDEST** story I have ever heard. I feel like they just copied the same overdone, repetitive, boring as all hell story from previous games in the series and pasted it onto this one. It's completely lazy and whoever wrote it is a disgrace to true writers everywhere. I truly don't understand how you all can be okay with such a thing. But I guess that's what being a "true fan" is nowadays, huh? I think I've made my point."

"Alright, Marvie!" I cheered as I gave her a high-five. Then we each turned to the nerdy fat fanboys (and girls) who were 100% pissed off at us.

" _ **You!**_ "

" _ **How DARE you have a different opinion than us?!**_ "

" _ **And to insult ours right in front of our faces! And talk trash about our dream game!**_ "

" _ **You trolls! WE'RE GONNA KICK YOUR ASSES FOR THAT!**_ "

"Uh…A-Ally…" Marvett looked at me with a scared look on her face.

"Good job, Marvett. Now for your second lesson. **Getting the hell out of here!** " I grabbed her hand and we both began running away from the overweight self-centered nerds.

" **GET THOSE MOTHER*******!** " One person yelled out as the group began giving chase to us.

"Way to go, Marvett! You got your confidence back!" I cheered.

"I-I'm happy for that too, Ally. **But now I think I'm going to lose my life instead!** "

"Oh, don't worry. I got a way to get us out."

"Y-You do? How?"

"Uh…" I looked up ahead to see if our escape rope was here. And sure enough, she was. "Hey, Sis!"

" _Onee-chan. Sorry, I'm late._ " Rafisol said to me.

"Never mind that, Sis. We need your help. A bunch of mean guys want to hurt me and…"

" _What? People want to hurt you?_ " It may be hard to tell for most people, but Rafisol gained a huge angry look on her emotionless face. Something I was counting on. " _Onee-chan. I'll protect you._ "

"Thanks, Sis. You're the best."

"Wh-Why did I suddenly get a chill down my spine?" Marvett asked.

"Oh, you'll see." Was all I said.

Rafisol floated up to the fanboys that had finally caught up to us. And blocked their path to reach us.

" **Hey, you! Get out of the way!** " One person yelled.

" _You. You wish to hurt my Onee-chan?_ "

"Huh? Onee-chan?"

"Is she a weeb or something?" Another person asked.

" _If you truly wish to do harm to my Onee-chan…then I will send each and every last of you shitbags to the deepest parts of Hell. I will show you no mercy._ "

As Rafisol's rage got bigger and bigger, her body began to glow. And a dark ball of energy formed in the open palm of her left hand. The fans…once offended and pissed off about their dream game being referred to as crap…were now shaking in the spots they stood in. Currently in fear for their lives.

"Wh-What the hell? Wh-What's with this chick?"

"I-I don't know!"

" _Leave my Onee-chan alone._ " Rafisol said. Her rage now maxed out completely.

"A-Ally! I-I do not know what's going on, but isn't this going a bit too far?!" Marvett asked me.

"Yeah, I know. Hey, come on, Sis. It's not a big deal." I said to Rafisol as I hugged her body. It's the only way to calm her down in situations like this.

…

" _Okay, Onee-chan._ " Rafisol said in her normal monotoned voice.

We then made our way out of the building. Leaving the group of obese nerdy people wallowing in fear and confusing over what just happened.

And they weren't the only ones.

"Um…what just happened?"

"That, Marvett, was what happens when you mess with a soulless entity." I said with a smile on my face.

* * *

We met up with the others and later on with Melody. And as Marvett suspected, Melody does **NOT** like her. So, asking if we could give her and Raina a ride back to Primp was out of the question.

Luckily, they were fine with taking the train back. As they did take it to get there in the first place.

Now an hour or two away from home, I was telling the other girls what exactly happened after they left the area. And they were quite surprised.

Well…Lidelle wasn't. Since she knows me all too well.

" _ ***sigh***_ Geez, Ally. You really had me worried back there."

"Sorry, Lidelle. But I didn't want to get you involved in it. Those guys can get _**really**_ wild if you push their buttons so much."

"Well, yeah but…"

"Damn, Ally. What you did back there…and it was all for Marvett, too. That was pretty bold of you." Ringo said.

"Oh, please. I was only trying to help out a friend. I'm sure you girls would've done the same thing."

"Yeah, but not to your extent." Peruvis said. "You almost got killed by a bunch of overweight nerdy virgins because you criticized the one thing they were all having an orgasm about."

"I swear. Gamers are a weird group of people." Phoenix said with a facepalm.

"Yeah, I did. I was kinda lucky that Rafisol showed up at that exact moment. I really had nothing else."

" _Anything for you, Onee-chan._ " Rafisol said with a smile.

"Now we can only hope that those people will change their attitude towards people who think differently from them."

"Seeing as how it's _**those**_ people, Ally…I highly doubt that's going to happen." Ringo said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah. That's the sad truth." I said with an exasperated tone.

* * *

After we dropped off Lidelle, Ringo, and Peruvis, I was expecting for us to go straight home. But for some odd reason, we made a stop at Lemres' shop. And after a minute or two, Melody came back out with a cake with her. When I asked what the cake was for, all she said was: "You'll find out soon enough.". Ending it off with a giggle.

It didn't really help and it only left Rafisol and I confused.

When we finally got home, we saw Arle sitting out on the step in front of the door with her hands covering her face. And now I was starting to get curious.

"Arle?"

"Oh, hey. Welcome home, you guys." Arle greeted Rafisol and me.

"What are you doing sitting outside?"

"Oh, um…I'm just getting some space from Amitie."

"Space from Ami?"

" _Did you two fight?_ " Rafisol asked.

"No. Not exactly. Though, I kinda wish it was that."

"Huh?"

" _Huh?_ "

 _Okay, now I'm really confused._

"Hey, Ami. We're back." Melody said as she went inside. "And I brought a cake home."

"What's with the cake?" Arle asked me.

"Your guess is as good as mine, Arle."

"I see…so how was that G3 thing you were excited about?"

"Oh, it was fun. Saw some new stuff, ran into Marvett and Raina there, Rafisol almost killed a bunch of pissed off nerds because I insulted their favorite game…"

"Wait, what was that last one?"

"Oh, nothing important." I said with a giggle.

"Right…" Arle gained a sweatdrop.

"So, what did you do?"

"Oh, right. I actually got a job yesterday."

" _Woah. Arle got a job._ " Rafisol said.

"Yeah, no kidding, Sis. I'm impressed, too. What job is it, Arle?"

"Well…you see, it's kinda like…"

" **MOOOOOOOOOM!** "

"What was that?"

"Sounds like Ami's pissed again. Wonder what Melody did this time."

The three of us went inside and saw Ami blushing hard over the kitchen counter and Melody laughing at her daughter's embarrassment. This seemed normal…but at the same time, it didn't.

"What's going on?" I asked.

" _J-J-Just…J-Just…_ _ **J-Just look at the cake! Baahahahaha!**_ " Was all Melody said as she continued laughing.

With us being positive on not getting any more answers, the three of us looked at the cake in question and saw what was written on it. And my God, I did **NOT** see this coming.

The cake read:

"" _Congratulations on losing your virginity, Ami!_ " **Oh, my God! Is this for real?!** " I asked in pure shock and excitement.

"Yeah. It is." Arle said in little disgust. "I ended up walking in on them yesterday."

" **HOLY CRAP! AMI, I'M SO PROUD OF YOU!** "

" **DON'T BE PROUD OF THAT!** " Ami yelled at me while still feeling the embarrassment.

"C-Congratulations, Ami." Melody said. "Y-You've finally… _ ***snicker***_ you've finally become a real woman. _**Baahahahaha!**_ "

" _ **I FREAKING HATE YOU!**_ "

" _Onee-chan._ " Rafisol asked me. " _What does losing your virginity mean?_ "

…

…

…

…

"Y…You're better off not knowing, Sis." I said with my hand on her shoulder. Leaving her totally confused at to what everyone was freaking out about.

 _Sis, I pray to God. Please keep your innocence._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **A chapter that I've been DYING to write for the longest time. This one's based on some actual opinions of mine and how I absolutely DESPISE fanbases. They are truly the bane to my enjoyment as a gamer. If I had the time, I would go into a rant right here right now. But sadly, I don't. Plus, I don't want to bore you guys.**

 **It's back to rewrites starting next chapter. So, I'm probably going to do another chapter binge until I find a point for more original chapters. It probably won't be for a while, though.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	54. The Devil Girl's Hidden Feelings

**Chapter 54 – The Devil Girl's Hidden Feelings**

 **Peruvis' POV**

"Aw, man. Yesterday was the best. I got to mess around with a bunch of tech and stuff and **NEW PANEL DE PON IS COMING OUT! YES!** "

"Geez. You _**still**_ haven't shut up about Panel de Pon?" Phoenix asked me.

"Hey. You know damn well how much I love that series. There hasn't been a new game since 2003 and it's about damn time a new one came out. _I just hope the cute little fairies come back. They'll make the game even better._ _ ***giggle***_ "

"And yet, you and Raffina keep saying that it's not girly."

" _It isn't girly!_ " I grew a little pissed. "It can be really competitive like all the other multiplayer games."

"How the hell can moving blocks side-to-side be competitive?"

"W-Well…l-look, just lay off, alright? I'm just happy that my favorite game is getting a reboot. Technically."

"Fine. Whatever."

It was just me the day after returning from G3. And right now, I was heading over to Sig's place. I haven't annoyed him in a while and I felt like doing just that. Plus, I'm hungry.

And also…there's something else that I have to do. Though, honesty…I'm questioning whether or not if I should actually do.

 _ ***sigh***_ _What am I doing? Am I really going to do this?_

…

 _Wh…Whatever._

"Hey, hey, hey! Duranné siblings!" I yelled out as I entered their house without knocking. A common thing I do despite Sig telling me to stop.

"Peridi! You're back!" Chu cheered. She was in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. Not surprisingly, she's the only one up.

"Hey, Chu. Where your brother?"

"I just woke him up. he should be down soon."

"I see…"

"He's still the type of person to just sleep the whole day if you let him." Phoenix said.

"His narcolepsy is the same as always." I said with an added sigh.

 _Just like when we were younger…_

"Hey, Peridi. Nice outfit." Chu said. She was pointing out the new clothes that I decided to wear for a simple change. I'm now wearing a pair of white flip-flops, black short shorts with a purple outline, and a white t-shirt with some words printed in rainbow color. It had Japanese writing on top and in a bigger size. But underneath that was what it translated to.

And that was…

"Panel de Pon Fever? You got a new Panel de Pon shirt?"

" _ ***giggle***_ Yep. It's to celebrate the upcoming release of the brand-new Panel de Pon game. I'm so excited for it. I even got this bracelet that represents my favorite fairy. That being the Jewel Fairy Ruby."

"Wow. That sounds really cool, Peridi. And the shirt is, too."

"Thanks, Chu. I really love the shirt. I'm definitely wearing it for a while."

"It really fits you."

"You think?"

"Yeah. It makes your boobs stand out."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah. It makes my…wait, what?" I looked at the 10-year-old with a confused look.

"Well, I mean…you have some pretty big boobs. I'm just hoping that I get ones just as big when I'm older."

 _Oh. I get it now. She's just a dreaming preteen. I've had my fair share of those._

"Ah, don't worry about it, Chu. I'm sure you'll get big boobs like mine. Maybe even bigger."

"Even bigger?" Chu's tone lit up with excitement (I would say face, but that doesn't change much). "Is there a way how?"

" _Well…_ "

"Hey. What are you planning? Don't screw with her thinking." Phoenix said to me.

"What? I'm just helping her out. And what do you know? This is a girl thing."

"It may be a girl thing. But you are the absolute **LAST** person to be giving out tips on how to grow bigger breasts."

"Hmph. Fine, then. I'll help Chu out and prove you wrong. A double set just like my titties. _***giggle***_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ This is not going to end well." Phoenix gave up.

"Alright, Chu. Pull up a chair and listen well."

"Okay." Chu did as she was told and now she was sitting across from me with (kinda) an eager look on her face.

"Okay. Seeing as how you're still young, you can't really rush the process too much. But if you want your breasts to be a little bigger, then a simple tip is to just massage your chest as hard as you can."

"Huh? Massage my chest? Won't that…feel weird?"

"Yeah, kinda. Since it's your first time doing it. But after a while, you'll start getting used to it."

"Well…" Chu looked rather unsure of the idea as she cupped her still developing chest with her hands. "…Can you do it for me, Peridi?"

"H-Huh? D-Do it for you?"

"I'm not sure if I'll do it right. You have big boobs. So, it must've worked for you, right?"

"Uh…"

 _I have big boobs because I got lucky! There's no official technique for this!_

…

 _But…I can't tell Chu that, can I?_

"Still feel like proving me wrong?" Phoenix taunted me.

"Sh-Shut up! I can do it! Alright, Chu. Come a little closer."

Then a thought came to my mind. A very important one that could possibly save my skin.

"B-But, um…you'll have to do it to me, too. You know…to be fair."

 _And so that Sig won't accuse me of being a molester…_

" _Woah…_ I get to massage Peridi's boobs. Such an honor." Chu sounded even more excited for this. Despite it not showing on her face.

"I-It's not that big of a deal, Chu…" I gained a sweatdrop.

And so, with both of us sitting across from each other and hands at the ready, we began massaging each other's chests. I really didn't know what Chu was concerned about. She's still growing. So, it's not the end of the world for her.

As for me…

 _D-Damn! Th-This girl's demonic strength…i-it's insane! She's pretty much groping me at this point!_

…

 _A-And…i-it's actually feeling kinda good. N-No…amazing, really. My body's starting to feel warm. I'm actually getting turned on from having a 10-year-old grope my breasts. What is_ _ **WRONG**_ _with me?!_

 _I should probably tell Chu to stop. No, I_ _ **SHOULD**_ _tell Chu to stop. But…it feels so good. It feels so damn amazing. Like a rush of ecstasy is flowing to the rest of my body from my breasts._

 _Gah! If I don't get this to stop soon…I'm gonna…_

 _I'm gonna…_

 _ **I'm gonna c…**_

"What are you two doing?"

" **Gah! Sig! Th-This isn't what it looks like!** " I yelled in a panic as the older Duranné sibling finally came into the kitchen.

"Really? Cause it kinda looks like you two were groping each other. Do I want to know why?"

"It's okay, Shigu." Chu said. "Peridi was just showing me how to gain bigger boobs."

"What?"

" **Ch-Chu!** " I blushed with embarrassment.

"Why are you blushing? You were all in on this."

" **Y-You shut the hell up!** " I yelled at Phoenix.

"Look, I really don't want to continue this conversation. So, can we just eat already? That is the reason you came here, right?"

 _Well…one of the reasons. The main one is…something I don't want to do, really._

" _ ***giggle***_ Yep. Sure thing. Let's eat, Sig." I said with a smile.

* * *

The whole groping thing eventually blew over (thank God). And the three of us were eating breakfast together. I detailed my experience at G3, including my excitement for Panel de Pon Fever. I also brought up what Ally said to the bunch of fanboys and what Rafisol almost did to said fanboys. And both were impressed.

The rest of the time was me making perverted remarks and Sig retorting those remarks while being completely annoyed. It was a really fun time and I no doubt enjoyed being together with him. It truly was like when we were kids.

…

Which makes what I'm about to do hurt like absolute hell.

 _ ***sigh***_ _Here goes nothing…_

"Hey, Sig. I need to talk to you."

"Huh? About what?"

"Well, what else? About Arle. About how you love her and want her to be your girlfriend."

I then saw Sig's facing burning like it was roasting over a huge patch of fire.

" **Wh-What?! Wh-What the hell are you talking about?!** " He stuttered.

"Come on. You're going to do this, too?"

" **D-Do what?!** "

"Sig, come on. You know want to…"

Sig went silent for a bit as he was trying to calm down from the topic being randomly brought up.

" _ *****_ _ **sigh***_ F-Fine. I-I'm not…a-against the idea of it…"

 _Sig…please._

"The idea of what, Sig?"

"Y-You know…that."

"What's _**that**_ , Sig?"

"D-Don't make me say it!"

 _Sig, I really don't want to. In fact, I never wanted to start this damn conversation. But…I'm doing this for you._

"Just say it!" I yelled.

"Fine! I-I'm not against the idea of…A-Arle…b-being my…g…girlfriend."

 _Damnit. He said it. He actually said it._

"There you go! Was that really hard to say?"

"Yes. Extremely hard." Sig said with a sigh.

"Aw, you're just overreacting. Right, Chu?"

"Looked pretty hard to me."

"Thank you, Chu." Sig said.

"Like brother, like sister…" I said.

 _Though…was it really? Or was that just him being difficult?_

…

 _I guess I'll never know._

"Why even bring this up now, anyway?" Sig asked me.

"Because the beach trip is tomorrow. For Raffina's birthday, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. The beach. Do we really have to go?"

" _Shigu! I wanna go to the beach!_ " Chu whined.

"Yeah, but...what are even going to do there?"

"Well, you know…beach stuff." I said.

""Beach stuff" is such a vague answer."

" **Well, I don't know, Sig! It's Raffina's birthday! She's the one planning everything! Geez, are you always this freaking straight forward?**!"

The whole room went quiet once I had made that really loud outburst. It didn't take me long to realize what happened. And I now had huge regrets in my mind.

"S…Sorry." I quietly said.

"You okay? You've never yelled like that before."

"Are you upset, Peridi?" Chu asked.

"I-I'm fine. Just…something's on my mind. It's not about me, anyway. It's about you and Arle."

"Why do you want me to be with Arle so bad?" Sig asked.

"Well, you do like her, right?"

"Yeah, but…" Sig then looked at his claw-like red arm and Chu's red eyes and white hair. And gave a depressed sighed. "If I want this to work out, then I'm going to have to tell her."

"Tell her? Y-You mean, you're going to tell her that you're demons?"

"I can't keep any secrets from her, Peruvis. If she finds out in the worst possible way, I'll never forgive myself.

 _He'll never…forgive himself? So, that officially means…_

"You get it, right?"

…

…

…

"Y-Yeah. I do." I replied. While trying to hold in my tears.

… _that he truly wants Arle._

"Well…I'm rooting for you, Sig. You go get her."

"You can do it, Shigu. I believe in you." Chu added.

"Thanks, you two. That makes me feel a little more confident."

 _Well…at least, he's happy._

"Anyway. Hurry up and finish eat." I said.

"Why?"

"Because. You're going to help Arle pick out a swimsuit."

" **Wh-What?! Wh-Why?!** " Sig started to blush.

"Everyone has one except her. And with her being from a different world, she's not familiar with them at all."

" **And you think** _ **I**_ **do?!** "

"Well, you are a boy, right? Boys are always fantasizing about girls and their titties, right?"

" **That's such a stereotype, Peruvis!** "

"Well, whatever. Just hurry up. Arle's waiting for you there."

" **You mean you already told her?!** "

"Yep. Told you you'll be there a 9."

" **9?!** **But it's already 8:50!** "

"Well, you better hurry up then." I said with a (fake-ass) smile.

" _ **Augh!**_ **Damnit!** " Sig ditched the rest of his food as he went to go change his clothes. Since he didn't have much time, he just threw on a light-blue t-shirt and some black sweatpants. Then headed for the door and got his shoes on before opening the door and running outside.

"Later, you guys!"

"Bye, Shigu." Chu said while waving at him.

"Make sure you pick out a sexy one, will ya?" I added.

" **Shut up!** "

It wasn't until Sig was away from sight that I dropped the whole act. And prepared myself to cry.

"Hey, Chu. I'm gonna go home. You can have the rest of my food."

"Huh? You're not hungry, Peridi?"

"No, not really. I'm just gonna head on out. Tell Sig that I'll see him tomorrow."

"Oh. Alright, Peridi. See ya." Chu sounded sad as she said that. And I really don't blame her.

* * *

Not much of a word was said the whole way back. Phoenix didn't even come out and start something with me. So, either he knows what's up with me…or just doesn't want to be bothered. Either way is fine with me.

"I'm home."

"Geez, there you are." Klug said to me as I walked inside my house. "Mom said that you gotta…"

"I'm not in the mood."

"You don't even know what it is."

" **I said I'm not in the mood!** " I yelled as I ran to my room and slammed the door. I then slid down the door and finally began to cry. Hard and loud, but not loud enough to be heard beyond my room. I don't want anyone talking to me for a good while.

I just…I just want to be alone.

" _ ***sniff***_ _S-Sig…why? Wh-Why_ _ ***sniff***_ _…her? Wh-Why not…me?_ "

Alone…with my broken heart.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Some mysteriously new feelings are starting to brew up. Question is…will she own up to them? Or push them aside to make her friend happy? It all depends on how long…her heart can take it.**

 **This is the start of a really long (and I mean LONG) story arc that probably won't end until sometime during the Fever chapters. It's an idea that I've been thinking of for a while and I'm going to work it out here. I can't say what's going to happen in full detail. But just know that it's going to change the plot of the Fever chapters by a huge chunk. You'll see soon enough.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	55. Sexy Cousins & Bikini Bottoms

**Chapter 55 – Sexy Cousins & Bikini Bottoms**

 **Sig's POV**

 _What was up with Peruvis earlier? For her to yell like that…is something bugging her?_

…

 _Eh. It's probably nothing._

I continued running through town trying to make it on time to the store where Arle is. But as I kept running, I finally realized…

…that Peruvis never told me where this store is.

" _ ***sigh***_ Well, that's just great." I said to myself in an annoyed tone. That was when my phone rang, and I checked it to see that I was getting a call from my cousin, Toule.

 _Toule? I haven't seen or heard from her since I was falsely accused of my parent's murder two years ago. Wonder what she wants?_

"Hello?" I answered the phone.

" _Sig! Long time no talk, my sexy little cousin!_ "

"Toule, quit calling me that. I'm your cousin."

" _Oh, come on. You are sexy._ "

"But I don't want to hear that from my cousin, of all people."

" _Oh, please. It's not like I have the hots for my little cousin. Though, I_ _ **totally**_ _wouldn't mind._ _ ***giggle***_ "

"You're still something else huh, Toule?" I gained a sweatdrop.

Toule Rokudo is my older cousin. And by "older", I mean that she's three years older than me. She and I are really close. Been like that since we were kids. Toule herself is a smart, kind, and cute girl for her age.

…

But…she often jokes about being in an incestuous relationship with me. I always keep telling her to stop. Especially since people nowadays can easily take it seriously. But for some reason, she doesn't see anything wrong with making jokes about being in love with your younger male cousin.

Her sense of humor makes no sense.

"So, why are you calling, Toule? Something bad happened?"

" _Ah, no. Nothing bad. But I do need your help with something._ "

"Huh? My help?"

" _I'm taking up Codex Arts for my first year of college and I need a codex book to start off with._ "

"Wait, Codex Arts? That's a thing?"

" _Sure, it is. How else do you explain those magical girl anime where they have to restore a book or some crap like that?_ "

"That…does make sense." I said after thinking about it. "But why do you need my help for that? I don't know where to get a codex book."

" _Well, didn't Uncle had a bunch of them stored up in his library or something?_ "

…

…

…

" _Sig?_ "

"I'm hanging up, Toule."

" _ **W-Wait, wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bring it up so casually!**_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Toule, you must be out of your mind if you think I'm coming back down to Konoko to dig up a past that was taken from me due to some unfair crap."

" _Sig, please. I'm sorry. I don't have anyone else to ask and…well…_ "

"Well, what?"

" _Well…don't you think it's a chance to finally make things right over here?_ "

 _Make things right? She doesn't mean…_

" _ ***sigh***_ Toule, I'm happy that you're still caring for us. But the moment that town turned their backs on us…threw me in prison for 2 years and took Chu away from me…is the day I gave up on that God-forsaken town. I have nothing but bad feelings about that place and nothing is going to change them. And I mean it, too."

" _ ***sigh***_ _I…I get it, Sig. Asking you was too irresponsible on my end. I really wasn't planning to upset my dreamboat of a cousin like this._ "

"How can you make a joke like that at a time like this?" I gained a second sweatdrop.

" _Anyway. I-I'll just…find another way. Sorry for bugging you. Goodbye, Cousin._ "

 _She sounds sad. I think she was really hoping that I would help her out. But…she still lives in Konoko Valley. And that place…_

…

 _ ***sigh***_ _I can't…I can't ignore this._

"Toule, wait. I'll do it, okay? I'll come down and help you look for that book."

" _ **Really?! Wh-What made you change your mind?!**_ "

"You're still family. Even though I'm fine enough with Chu. Family's supposed to help each other, right?"

" _ **Oh, hell yeah! Thanks a bunch, Sig! Your heart is just as big as your ping…**_ "

"Toule. Finish that sentence and I swear to God I will change my mind right back."

" _ ***giggle***_ _Alright, alright._ "

"So, when is this class of yours starting?"

" _Well, it's not until September 2_ _nd_ _. But I need the book a week in advance to get a good grasp on it. so, I'll need it by then._ "

"That week? But August 29th is Chu's birthday."

" _Oh, yeah. Chu's birthday. Well, it shouldn't take that long. You might even get back on that day. Hell, we can even do something as the three of us before you go back. How's that?_ "

"Well…I guess that could work. Still need Chu's input, though."

" _Aw, I'm sure she'll agree to it. It'll give her a chance to see her Soulé again._ "

By the way, "Soulé" is what Chu calls Toule. Like how Peruvis accepted "Peridi", she's completely okay with it. She even thinks it's cute.

"Well, alright. See you then."

" _See you then. And thanks again, Sig. I knew I could count on my titillating demonic cousin._ _ ***seductive moan***_ _You sexy thing, you. So totally kissable._ "

"Are you in public saying this stuff?"

" _Yeah, I am. Seeing the people's disgusted faces makes it all the more hilarious._ _ ***giggle***_ "

"Toule…there truly is something wrong with your sense of humor." I gained a third sweatdrop while talking to this dear 'ol cousin of mine.

" _Aw, whatever. Later._ "

"Later."

I hung up the phone and looked at the screen. Realizing that I was talking to Toule for about 10 minutes. But it honestly felt like an eternity.

" _ ***sigh***_ So, I'm going back to Konoko, huh? I wonder if I can truly forgive that hellhole of a place."

I then placed my phone back in my pocket and continued walking.

* * *

After a few minutes of looking around and realizing that I'm lost, I decided to just give up and hope to just find it by chance.

To my surprise, that actually worked.

"Hey, Sig. Over here."

"Hey, Arle." I said as I ran up to her. Surprisingly, neither one of us started blushing this time. That's a good sign…right?

"Sorry, you had to come out of your to help me pick out a swimsuit. I've would've done it myself, but…"

"Is it because you're from a different world and all that?"

"Well, no. I just…never wore one before."

"Really? You never wore a swimsuit?"

"Yeah…I never did much swimming, either. Or anything else, really. I was too busy saving the world and stuff."

"Saving the world? From what?"

"Many, many, many, many, **MANY** stuff." Arle said with an exasperated tone.

"Wow. Okay, then. Wanna start, then?"

"Sure. Let's go."

The two of us went inside the store to start looking for a swimsuit for Arle. A task that I somehow got dragged into…but I somehow don't mind.

 _As long as it's with Arle, I guess._

The inside of this place was huge. Way bigger than your standard big box store. It actually looked and felt like a mall. The place was three stories high with multiple aisles side by side with each other. And the only way to travel between floors was by escalator.

The fact that a "mall" such as this is in a small town like Primp was just mind-boggling to me.

"Woah! This place is bigger than last time!"

"You were here before?" I asked Arle.

"Oh, yeah. I was here a few days after I came to this world. It was the same day I ran into Schezo."

"Huh. A stroke of luck, I guess."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, probably."

As we continued walking through this odd-looking shopping center, I kept thinking about earlier. What I told Peruvis this morning…that I was going to have to tell Arle my secret. I already lied to Arle about my true self. Telling her that my arm being red was because of a disease. But I only did it because I was scared of what she, and pretty much everyone else, would think of me. How'd they treat Chu and I. They've been really nice up until now, but I _**really**_ don't want a repeat of last time.

People being afraid of us…

Accusing us of murder…

Forcing us to leave our home…

I don't want to do that again. I don't want to put Chu through that again. And most of all…

…

…I don't want to lose Arle. As a friend, and something more.

 _I have to tell her. I have to tell her the truth. I don't want to, but I don't really have a choice._

"Hey, Sig. You okay?" I heard Arle ask me.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." I answered her, but she looked skeptical.

"You sure? Cause…you're crying a little."

"H-Huh?"

That's when I touched my face and felt tears running down my face. I really was crying. And in front of Arle, too. This secret is starting to eat me up inside. Now I really have to tell her.

"Sig…are you sure you're feeling okay? I don't want to force you to do this if you don't want to."

"I-I'm fine. R-Really, I am. I'll help any way I can."

Arle then smiled at me and gave me a light hug. I felt myself blushing really hard and more tears running down my face. This type of comfort…it's been so long since I've received it. So long, that I thought it died out a long time ago.

I'm so glad I was wrong.

"Thanks, Sig. You're a really good person. I wish all boys were more like you."

 _Trust me Arle. You wouldn't want that._

We finally broke apart and smiled at each other with extreme comfort. Only to be broken apart when we realized what we were doing in public, and started blushing. The first time both of us have done it together today.

"S-So you…s-still want to…go find a swimsuit?" I asked.

"Y-Yeah. S-Sure. L-Let's…g-go." Arle replied.

We then continued our trek through this…mall? I guess? The fact that it's _**this**_ still bugs me.

* * *

 **Arle's POV**

We finally found the swimsuit section of the store after nearly 20 minutes of looking. I was excited to try some on…but I then noticed Sig looking rather uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I really don't feel right by being here."

"Oh. Right. Because of all the girl's swimsuits."

"Honestly. I don't know why Peruvis said I'd be a good help in this."

"Well, she and the other girls said that boys are usually fantasizing about a girl's breasts and whatnot, but I figured it was just a stereotype."

"It really is." Sig grew agitated.

"I thought so. Since it was four lesbians and Peruvis that gave such a statement."

"You know, I've been wondering. Doesn't it bother you that you live with lesbians despite being straight?"

"No, not really. I'm perfectly fine with it. _Though…nights like_ _ **that**_ _are still possible._ " I then started shivering a bit.

"Nights like _**that**_?"

"O-Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself, that's all."

"Huh." Was all he said about it. "So, are you the only straight girl?"

"I'm not the _**only**_ one. Rulue's straight, too. She used to gawk obsessively over this one guy we both knew. Though, I never understood why."

 _Like, for real. What did Rulue actually see in Satan? And furthermore, what the hell did he see in me?_

"Huh. But Rulue isn't exactly around our age. She just looks like it."

"Yeah, that took me by surprise. The same could be said for Schezo."

"180-years-old. That's impressive as hell."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"And what about that Harpy girl?"

That's when I turned my head away from Sig while scratching my head in a somewhat stressful way.

"Harpy…is a bit complicated." I finally said.

I could tell that he didn't get it. His confused face is so funny-looking that I actually started giggling at it.

"Well, you see…I don't even think she knows that she's gay."

"How can someone not know that they're gay? I mean, it's possible. But not for this long."

"Trust me. Even with the simplest of things, Harpy can make it complicated." I gained an exasperated sweatdrop.

"I see. So, what makes you think she's gay?"

"Well, back home she has a best friend named Seriri and the two would always be together. The thing is…Seriri has a huge crush on Harpy. And she even told me and the others that. But with Harpy being such an airhead…"

" _Right…_ "

"You get it now?"

"Yeah, I get it. That's gotta suck for her."

"You would think, but Seriri's extremely patient. She's put up with it for years."

"Years?"

"Years."

"Wow. Well, good for her…I guess."

"Yeah, she's a fighter."

" **Well, I bet she's not a better fighter than me!** "

" **Gah!** " We both jumped up from shock as a short green-haired girl with horns popped out from the rack of swimsuits that was next to us. She scared the hell out of me. Any I was truly pissed, too.

"What the… **Draco?! Were you listening to our conversation?!** " I asked.

"Yep! I saw ya from afar so I figured I'd come here and hear a secret or two about something interesting. But you're just as boring as ever, Arle."

"Wh-What?! Boring?! How the hell am I boring?!"

"Well, for starters…"

 ***BONK***

" **Ow! The hell?!** "

"I swear. You really need to learn to behave, damnit." Then suddenly, another girl showed up and stood next to the one still in the clothes rack. Looking annoyed an pissed at the first one.

" _Gao!_ _Wicchi!_ "

"Witch!" I cheered.

"Arle! It really is you! So, Draco wasn't lying when she said she saw you the other day."

"See? I told you." Draco said.

"W-Wait, what? I'm confused." Sig said.

And once again, I laughed at Sig's confused face.

 _Hope he doesn't get too angry about it…_

"These are two of my friends from my homeworld. The one with the broom is Witch, and the one on the floor is Draco."

"Oh." Was all Sig said.

"Wait…"the one on the floor"? You couldn't pick a better description for me, Arle?" Draco asked.

"Well, you are on the floor, Draco."

"That's because Wicchi hit me in the head!"

"Hey, you were asking for it. Running around this place like a little kid. I'm not your babysitter, you know." Witch said.

"I couldn't help it, okay? I've never seen so many sexy swimsuits in such a small area. There's a crap ton to choose from. _Hah~…It's like I'm in heaven._ "

" _Not for me…_ " Sig mumbled to himself.

"Yeah…figures you would like this place, Draco." I gained a sweatdrop.

"So. Who's this boy, Arle? _Is he your boyfriend?_ " Witch asked in a teasing tone.

" **N-No! Th-This is just Sig and he's just a friend! A-A really good friend!** "

" _Really good, huh?_ " Both Witch and Draco asked in a teasing way, which made me blush a dark red.

" **ST-STOP BEING PERVERTED!** "

"Alright, alright." They both said.

"What did you mean by that?"

"Sig, please don't ask." I replied with a facepalm. "What are you two even doing here, anyway?"

"Checking out some new clothes." Draco said. "I finally convinced Wicchi to dump that old lady robe she wears a lot and try something new for once."

"Old lady robe?" Witch grew insulted. "Who are you calling old? I'm only 14."

"Yeah, but you wearing that grandma smock made you look old. Kinda like an old woman dealing with a mid-life crisis. And that's _**really**_ old, if you ask me."

" _Quit calling me old, damnit._ " Witch said in a pissed off voice.

While the two were bickering, I finally took notice of the new outfits they were wearing. Draco's was a light rainbow-ish sweater-skirt combo. With the skirt being light-blue. She also wore mismatched colored stockings (Left leg was purple & yellow striped. Right leg was blue with turquoise spots and had a leg warmer that matched the sweater on it) and pink sneakers.

One thing to point out was that her wings and tail were still visible from it. So, either it was custom made or Draco ripped it the moment she put it on.

I'm going with the second one.

Witch's outfit was a **HUGE** difference from what she normally wears. She wore a plain black t-shirt and a small grey skirt over a pink & brown jacket that…actually makes me think of chocolate, for some reason. Her brown socks gave me that thought, too. Luckily, her white & black sneakers and the comet-shaped hairclip didn't give me that same thought.

All and all…what they're wearing is actually kinda cute.

"What made you guys change your clothes?" I asked.

"Well, since we somehow got wrapped here and everyone looked completely different, I figured we might as well blend in with the crowd." Witch said.

"Yeah…I kinda get what you mean. I did the same thing myself."

"And I can appreciate that decision greatly!" Draco cheered. "I mean, look at me! I look so street, yo!"

"Uh…what?"

"What does it mean to look street?" I asked Sig.

"It's slang for "looking good"."

Now it was me that had the confused look on my face. Sig noticed it and laughed a little.

"Slang is like a cool way of saying something."

" _Oh._ " Both Witch and I said.

"Well, you're definitely not cool, Draco." Witch then said to her with a few giggles.

"Gao. Screw you."

 _So, Draco and Witch did came out of that mirror. That makes six people now. Maybe I won't be as alone as I thought._

…

 _Wait a minute. Witch being here…wasn't I supposed to ask her something?_

…

…

…

 _Oh, yeah. Now I remember._

"Hey, Witch. I need to ask you something. Do you happened to have something called the Green Puyo Hat?"

"The what? I have no idea what you're talking about, Arle."

"Oh. I see."

 _So much for that._

"What's a Green Puyo Hat?" Draco asked.

"Well…it's a long story. But to make it short, I need to find it to help my friend fend off against a beanie that's trying to kill her."

…

…

…

"What the hell?" Witch, Draco, and Sig all had the biggest looks of confusion I have ever seen.

"It sounds ridiculous, I know. But it's a lot worse than it sounds."

"I…see." Witch said. "Well sorry, Arle. I don't have this Green Puyo Hat thing. And I'm pretty sure Draco doesn't either."

"Nope. Don't have it, either." Draco added.

"Well, that sucks." I said looking bumped out. "And the others don't have it either."

"Others?" Witch asked. "You mean it's not just us here?"

"Schezo, Harpy, and Rulue ended up here too."

" **No way! Harpy's here?! Alright! I've got something to do instead of sitting around at Wicchi's shop all day!** " Draco cheered.

"Yeah. And me and my potions will be safe." Witch added.

"Hey!"

"Anyway. Those three are here too, huh? That's a shock."

"Yeah. And if you think that's shocking, just wait until you find out…"

"Uh, Arle?" Sig tapped me on the shoulder.

"Huh? Oh right. Sorry, Sig. We'll start looking now."

"Huh? You guys looking for a swimsuit?"

"Well, I am. Sig's just helping me out. Although, he said he's rather uncomfortable here."

"Well, if it bugs you so much, Sig, then we'll help her do it." Witch offered.

"Really? You'll do that?" Sig asked.

"Sure!" Draco cheered. "Arle's not that good with being pretty, anyway!"

 ***BONK***

" **Ow! Seriously, again?!** " She then yelled after I punched her in the head.

"Yes, again! I can totally be pretty!"

" _Well…_ " Witch and Draco said while looking away from me.

" **I'M NOT A TOMBOY!** "

"You kinda are."

" _Ugh._ Whatever. Let's just go find some swimsuits already."

"I'll go wait somewhere else." Sig said. "I just want to get the hell out of this area and…"

"H-Hey, Sig!" I yelled out. "Watch…"

 ***CRASH***

"…out."

" _Ow…_ " Sig ended up colliding into a huge display model of a bunch of different girls' swimsuits. A lot of them fell on him and made a mountainous pile. With only his head showing. Eventually, some more stuff fell on top of his head. These items were: a pair of bikini bottoms, a fake pineapple, and a letter C from one of the words of the display model.

" _ ***snicker***_ _Who lives in a pineapple under the "C"?_ " Witch teased.

"Oh, shut up!"

 _Was that a joke? Cause I didn't get it._

* * *

 **Sig's POV**

As the three girls went off swimsuit shopping, I waited at the Up 'n Down Burger this store had inside. I was extremely glad to be out of that area.

Plus, I was hungry. I never got to finish my cereal this morning.

About an hour later, Arle had met up with me at the store exit. And together we were sitting in the park relaxing from the chaos that was in that store.

"Geez, I'm so glad to be out of that place." I said.

"Yeah, me too. It was too crowded in there." Arle said.

"Though, we were lucky to find your friends there."

"You mean _**you**_ were lucky? You did get out of picking out a swimsuit with me."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. I think that display model falling on me was fate's way of punishing me for it."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, I can believe that." Arle then laughed at me. I would be upset about it, but hearing her laugh and seeing her smile…it didn't really bother me that much. I'm not denying my love for her anymore at this point…but confessing to her is a whole new problem now.

And speaking of confessing…

 _Now's a good time to tell her. It's now or never._

"U-Uh, hey…Arle. C-Can I tell you something real quick?"

"Sure, Sig. What's up?"

"Well…you know how on the day we first met I told you that the reason my arm was red is because of a disease?"

"Yeah, what about it? You didn't give it to me while I wasn't paying attention, did you?"

"It's not contagious." I said while feeling a little annoyed that she brought that up again.

"Okay, okay. What is it, then?"

"W-Well…"

I felt my heart racing like crazy as I started panicking within my mind. The same worries I had before were coming back to haunt me again. I was scared. I didn't know how Arle would react to this…but I won't know until I tell her.

But…I'm too scared to. This whole thing just keeps circling around and it's hurting my entire body and soul. I don't know what to do! I just…I just…I…just…want…to…

"S-Sig…y-you okay? Y-You're crying again." Arle said to me.

I looked up and faced Arle with my teary face. Once she saw that, she hugged me again and I instantly felt a little better. Being around her, laughing with her, and having fun with her…I really don't know when I started having feelings for Arle, but I do know that I love her very much.

"Th-Thank you, Arle."

"You're welcome, Sig. Do you still want to tell me something?"

"Well…it's not a "want". It's more like a "need"."

"Need?"

"Yeah, need."

"O…Okay."

I took a couple deep breaths and looked at Arle again. This time with a more calmed down look on my face.

"Arle. My red arm is not because of a disease. It's red because…I-I'm a demon."

"Y-You're a… **d-demon?!** "

I was too upset to say anything, so I just shook my head yes.

Arle went silent for a bit. I had no idea what she was thinking, but I was starting to believe that it was something negative.

"Sig… **THAT'S SO COOL!** "

"I know you must be scared of me right no…wait what?"

"I said it's so cool that you're a demon."

…

…

…

"S… **SERIOUSLY?!** "

"Yep! I'm serious!"

"Y-You're not afraid of me?"

"Nope."

"You're not going stop being around me?"

"Nope."

"You're not going to blame me for killing anyone?"

"Nope… **wait, what the hell?!** "

"I didn't kill anyone."

"O-Oh. Good then."

"You seriously thought I did?"

"Well, when you bring that up out of nowhere, it kinda makes me think that."

"Oh. Right."

"No, of course not. You're too cute to kill."

"T-Too…c-cute?!" I started blushing. Soon after, Arle started blushing as well.

"W-Well…y-you know what I mean!"

"Y-Yeah…I g-guess."

We both went silent for a little bit. Even though it's gotten awkward again, I'm just glad I was wrong about my fears.

"So you're a demon, huh? That's interesting." Arle said.

"Yeah. You know, Chu's a demon, too. Well, half-demon. She's still in the transformation stage.

"How'd that happened? Is it like a family thing?"

"Kinda. We're actually related to an all-powerful demon. And we each have some of his powers."

"Woah…so cool."

"Really?"

"How many times do I have to say it?"

"Uh…10."

"What?"

"Come on, say it."

Arle sighed and took a deep breath.

"Really. Really. Really. Really. Really. Really. Really. Really. Really. Really."

"That'll do." I said with a smile.

"Jerk." Arle pouted.

"Sorry, sorry."

"So, is it just you and Chu?"

"Yeah, kinda. We have a cousin back in Konoko Valley who some of the demon's power. But compared to Chu and me, it's near unnoticeable."

"Wow. That's so cool! I wish I became a demon."

"What? Why?"

"Because. I've fought them so much, that I wonder what it's like to be one."

"Your world is messed up, Arle."

"Yeah. I know."

We then laughed it off like it was nothing.

"I really had fun today, Sig."

"Yeah, me too. I'm really glad I was able to tell you my secret. I thought I was going to lose you as a friend."

"What? No! Never! I would never stop being friends with you, Sig! Because really…you're more than just a friend to me. You're…really special to me. Like… _ **really**_ special."

"Y-Yeah…you're _**really**_ special to me too, Arle."

We were both blushing really hard. I then felt myself inching closer to Arle. And she was doing the same. I wasn't sure if we should stop…but my body made the decision for me, which was to not stop at all. We got closer and closer…

Until…

It…it happened…

…

W-We…kissed.

…

…

…

A-And it was…really nice.

I never gave this any thought, but Arle's lips feel so soft. It was the most pleasant feeling I've ever felt. It may be because this is my first kiss, thus making me sound extremely bias (and kinda perverted). But I really didn't care. This was the best moment of my life.

Well…one of them.

After a few seconds, we pulled apart and stared at each other with blushed red faces. We suddenly held each other's hands and Arle brought her head onto mine in a slow, passionate way.

"Hey…Sig."

"Yeah…Arle?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

We continued to stay in that position for…I don't even know how long. Or cared, really. I was just happy that not only did I tell Arle my secret, but I also confessed my love for her. And best of all, she loves me too. At some point, I remembered the last words my parents told me before they were mysteriously killed. These words have followed me all throughout my life, and mean so much to me.

" _Sig. Whatever happens to us, just promise…promise that you'll be happy again. That's all we really want as your parents."_

 _I did it, Mom. I did it, Dad. I'm finally happy._

* * *

 **Peruvis' POV**

" _S-So, they actually did it. They finally became a couple._ _ ***sniff***_ _G-Good…Good for them._ "

"Hey, are you really okay? With what just happened?" Phoenix asked me.

" _Wh-What_ _ ***sniff***_ _d-do you mean? I-I'm…perfectly fine with this._ "

"Something tells me otherwise. Watching them two confess to each other was too much for you, wasn't it?"

" _I-I mean it. I-If_ _ ***sniff***_ _I-If Sig is happy…th-then I'm happy._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever. You're only hurting yourself, kid." Phoenix went back into my back and I continued to watch my best friend and his new girlfriend cuddle up with each other. And as much as I didn't want to admit it…

" _ ***sniff***_ _Sig_ _Duranné…Arle Nadja…_

…

 _I…hate you both._ "

…Watching it hurts like hell.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Arle and Sig are now official! It's a happy moment for them…but for a certain childhood friend, it's the worst moment of her life.**

 **But there's no way she's going to admit it. Let alone, tell them.**

 **This emotional love tringle is only getting started.**

 **Some things to point out:**

 **Another new character in the form of Toule (who is, yes, from Quest). Though, she won't make a full appearance until a later chapter. This was kind of an introduction to her.**

 **Since the time when Friends with Enchantments was being written, Witch's age has been changed. Kinda. According to Puyo Nexus, she's 13 in the Puyo games and 15 in the Madou games. I have no idea which is true. So, I rounded them both and said that she was 14. And since the current month in the story is August, she will turn 15 rather soon.**

 **I actually found out something…rather interesting (and kinda hard to believe) about Draco. I found this while playing the SEGA AGES version of Puyo 2 and reading the bios of the characters. Draco's read, and I quote:**

" **A cute girl with horns, fangs, and wings. She's sometimes mistaken as a boy."**

 **Now I don't really know where they got this from. And I pretty sure they just thought this up on the dime like how they claimed that Maguro is the eldest son. And I bet they don't ever plan on giving details on each and that honestly irritates me. I really wish SEGA would give these characters more detailed backstories and such. It doesn't even have to be in the games. This is a chance to make the light novels better.** _ ***Hint* *Hint***_

 **That's basically it. There probably won't be another chapter for the rest of the month. But we'll see. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	56. The Last Fling's First Arrival

**Chapter 56 – The Last Fling's First Arrival**

 **Amitie's POV**

" **NO…WAY! YOU CONFESSED?!** "

"Yes! For the 8th time this hour, I confessed my love for Sig, and so did he for me! What part of that are you guys not getting?!" Arle asked sounding really annoyed.

"We get it, it's just…" I said.

"We can't believe our plan actually worked." Ally said.

"I know, right? All the planning we did paid off! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ " Raffi began to gloat.

" _Planning? We?_ Raffina, you didn't help at all. You and Peruvis spent that entire day playing Panel de Pon." Lidelle complained.

"Hey, we were listening…kinda."

"Geez. You two and that girly game of yours…"

" **IT'S NOT GIRLY!** " Raffi shouted.

…

And it was only her, too. Usually, Peruvis would yell that too. Come to think of it, she hasn't said a word since we all met up this morning.

 _Maybe she's just tired…_

"So, what? I'm not gonna get a "congratulations" or something?" Arle asked.

The rest of us looked at her with looks of forgetfulness because we kinda got carried away there for a moment.

" **Congratulations, Arle!** " The four of us shouted.

" _ ***giggle***_ Thanks, you guys."

"Yeah. Congratulations, Arle. Yay." Peruvis added. But the way she said it was so…depressing. Almost like she didn't mean it at all.

 _Is she_ _ **really**_ _just tired?_

The seven of us girls were sitting together on the train on our way to the beach. The day has finally come, and we were so excited to spend a whole week near the ocean. When Arle told us that she and Sig are now a couple, we started talking about other things related to that. And by we, I mean just six of us. Rafisol was asleep on Ally's shoulder. And has been asleep since the train left Primp. That's when Raffi brought something up.

"So, now you're the only one left, Peruvis. _Got someone in mind?_ " she teased.

"Wh-Where's this coming from?!" Peruvis started blushing.

"Well, it's just that you're the only one out of us that's still single." I said.

"What?! I'm not the only one!"

"Well, let me rephrase that… you're the only one who has some sort of chance."

"Huh?"

"Ringo's too complicated with her bisexual self. She can never make up her mind on these things." Lidelle said.

"Feli's **MADLY** in love with Lemres. So, she's out." Raffi said.

"I'm pretty sure ghosts can't fall in love. So, Yu's out too." I said. "Harpy's too much of an airhead to know what love is." Arle said. "And Schezo's not interested in love. He says it's pathetic."

 _Pathetic?! What makes him think that?!_

"And let's be honest…Klug doesn't stand a chance." Ally stated.

"Doesn't stand a chance in _**what**_ , Ally?"

" _Cr-Crap…_ "

Ally didn't realize that Klug was sitting behind her and pretty much heard her insulting him.

"Wh-What I mean is…y-you don't have a chance at…uh…l-losing an IQ contest! Y-Yeah, that's it!"

"Right…sure." Klug clearly didn't believe her.

"Oh come on, Klug! I was just kidding! I didn't really mean that!"

"Whatever you say, Ally." Klug then turned back around in his seat.

"Damn. I think he's mad at me." Ally gained a sweatdrop.

"I don't blame him." I said. "You pretty much insulted his manhood."

"He'll get over it. I do that all the time." Peruvis said. Still with the depressed tone.

"Wow. Brotherly-sisterly love…" Lidelle said sarcastically.

"Shut it, Lidelle."

"So, Peruvis. Who you're gonna hook up with?" Ally asked.

" **W-We're still talking about this?!** "

"Well, like we said. You're the only one."

" **What about Rafisol?! She's single!** "

"Yeah, but…Sis isn't really… _experienced_ …in love."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…"

" _ ***moan***_ _Onee…chan…Zzz…_ "

Rafisol suddenly spoke in her sleep while snuggling up against Ally's arm. It was really cute, but I decided to stay silent.

"Oh. I get it now." Peruvis said as she and pretty much everyone else gained a sweatdrop.

" _ ***sigh***_ Sis, wake up." Ally shook her twin sister's head.

" _Huh? Onee-chan, I was sleeping._ "

"Sis, we're going to the beach. You shouldn't be sleeping."

" _But I like sleeping. Especially on Onee-Chan. You're really soft._ "

"I'm not a special pillow, Sis." Ally said as she gained a sweatdrop.

"So anyway, Peruvis…" Raffina said.

" **Oh my God! Just drop it already! Even if I did have someone in mind, there's no way in hell I'm telling ANY of you people!** " Peruvis yelled with full rage and anger built up inside of her. It left all of us with a mixed look of shock and fear. And we didn't know what to say of if we should.

"I-I'm…I-I'm sorry." Peruvis said once she had calmed down. "I-I just…want to be alone for a while." She then got up and headed for the train car door. Probably heading for the balcony at the end.

"Woah. What was that all about?" Raffina asked.

"Peruvis has been acting like that since this morning. I hope she's okay." Lidelle said.

"Ah, don't worry. She's probably on her monthly." Ally said.

"Why do you always suggest that a girl's current mood is based on their monthly?" I asked her.

"Well, it makes sense, right? I mean…you've been pretty worked up lately."

"That had nothing to do with it."

"Well, yeah. I know that now. Still shocked that it led to you and Raffina losing your virginities."

" **W-Wait, seriously?!** " Lidelle yelled with a faint blush on her face.

" **Is she for real?!** " Ringo, Sig, and Klug asked from the group of seats behind us.

" **YOU LOST YOUR VIRGINITY, RAFFINA?!** " Both Amira and Feli asked Raffi with the biggest looks of shock on their faces. I guess they never believed that she would do such a thing.

" _ **ALLY!**_ " Both Raffi and I had yelled in anger at the orange-haired loudmouth.

"What? It's not my fault that you two wanted to boink so badly."

" **Wha…Why you little…** "

"Miss Raffina." Lily said as she not that far from us. "I understand that you are a teenager and all…but we will have a full discussion about this once we get back home."

" _L-Lily…_ " Raffi whined with grief.

" _Ooh~. This just got steamy._ _ ***giggle***_ "

"Witch. Don't make this any worse than it already is." Arle said to the long blonde-haired girl sitting behind Lidelle and me.

It was pretty shocking to see that Arle had invited a friend last-minute. And then to find out that this friend is the 6th person to come out of the Dimensional Mirror and end up in this world. And then on top of that, it was the girl Raffi and I were looking for. Arle's friend who is oddly named Witch.

Sadly, though, both girls had told us that Witch doesn't have the Green Puyo Hat. And she doesn't know what it is. So, there goes our only lead to finding it.

Hopefully, we find this last Puyo Hat before anything bad happens. I really don't want to be killed by a freaking hat of all things.

…

Which reminds me…

"Hey, Arle. With Draco and Witch here, that makes six people that came from your world through the Dimensional Mirror. When we first found you, there were six lightning bolts that spawned from it. So…not including you, there should be one more person left that hasn't been found."

"Yeah, that's true. Though, I really have no idea who it could be. Those lightning bolts seemed to have struck random people. Which explains why people like Harpy, Draco, and Witch are here."

"And what is _**that**_ supposed to mean?" Witch asked. Clearly insulted.

"It means that Harpy's an airhead and you & Draco are weirdos."

"D-Don't lump me with Draco!"

" _Huh? Lump me with what? A piece of chicken?_ " Draco asked as suddenly woke up from a nap she was taking.

" _Hey, Ally. What's a lump? Is it something totally tubular?_ " Harpy asked as she did the same thing.

"A tubular lump? What's that?" Chu asked.

" _Whatever it is, it sounds awesome!_ " Raina cheered." _Can we go see it, Raffina?! Huh?! Huh?! Huh?! Can we?! Can we?! Can we?!_ "

"There's no actual lump, you idiot." Raffi said with an exasperated look and tone.

" _Aw…_ " Both Raina and Harpy whined.

"H-Hey, guys. We're getting off-topic here." I said with a sweatdrop.

"Right, right." Raffi said. "What Ami is getting at, Arle, is…do you believe that this last person could have the Green Puyo Hat?"

"Well…" Arle went silent for a bit. "…I can't really say. With this last person unknown at the moment, I really can't think of anyone that could or would have it. Everyone that's here so far hasn't really heard of them. Sorry, Amitie."

"I see…" I said with a sad sigh.

"Wait, the Green Puyo Hat? You two are looking for the Puyo Hats again?" Lidelle asked.

"I thought you two were done with that once Akuma took possession of the three from earlier. Why the continued search?" Klug asked.

"Well…"

We then explained to everyone what Akuma told us a few days ago. Besides Harpy, Chu, Draco, Raina, and Rafisol, who had all fell asleep mid-way through, everyone gained chills down their spines.

"W-Woah. S-So, the Red Puyo Hat escaped from its case? And now it wants revenge on Amitie?" Lidelle asked.

"Yeah. Akuma said that the only way to stop it is to use the power of the other four against it." I said.

"We were told that someone from Arle's world brought the Green Puyo Hat with them." Raffina said. "We assumed it was Witch, but that's been disproven."

"And I really can't think of anyone else that could possibly have it." Arle added.

"Hmm…come to think of it, Peruvis did show me a hat fitting that description." Sig said. "Only it was yellow and not green."

"So, Peruvis still has the Yellow Puyo Hat, huh? I hope she keeps it safe until we truly need it." Raffina said.

"So, basically…we just gotta hope that the last person from Arle's world shows up soon." Lidelle said.

"Sig, can't that arm of yours help track things down or something?" Ally asked.

"What? No. It can't. It's not some kind of miracle worker, Ally." Sig said.

"How did you get that arm, anyway?" I asked.

"I-I, uh…i-it's a disease."

" **WHAT?!** " We all shouted.

"It's not transferable. From what he told me." Arle said.

"Y-Yeah, but…"

 _Sig's hiding something. And it looks like Arle already knows what it is. I bet it also explains the different colored eyes and the ladybug on his head. Seriously. Does he even feel it resting on his head?_

"Hey, guys. We're approaching the station soon. Get your things ready." Mom said to us.

"Okay, Mom."

"Sis, wake up. We're about to get off." Ally said.

"Chu. Wake up." Sig said.

"Hey, Harpy. Time to wake up." Arle said.

"Get up, Raina. We're here." Raffi said.

" _Draco~. Breakfast~._ " Witch said.

" **BREAKFAST?! WHERE?!** " Draco shot up like a rocket. Once she looked around and realized there was no food, she got pretty angry.

" **GAH!** **Why do you keep doing that?!** "

"It's the only way to wake you up."

"True." Arle added.

" **Don't toy with my appetite!** "

"Why? It's so fun to screw with you and make you believe that there's food around."

" _Gao!_ " Draco whined as Witch began laughing at her reaction.

"Those two get along well huh, Arle?" I asked.

"Yep. They're the best of friends." Arle replied with a huge sweatdrop.

* * *

After all of us got off the train and grabbed our bags, we had to walk down a small path in order to get to the beach house. The 10-minute walk it took was worth it. Because once we got there, it was a sight to behold.

The house was pretty huge. Much larger than normal beach houses…then again, I've never seen or been to a normal beach house. So, maybe this is a normal-sized one. I guess.

"Geez, it's been a while since we've been here." Raffi said as we went inside the house.

"Yeah, I know. I think the last time we were here was when we were kids." Amira said.

"I'm surprised that nothing has changed over the years." Lily said.

" _Yes. There's just enough room._ "

"Huh? Room for what?" Raffi asked her cousin.

"U-Uh…n-nothing!"

Then suddenly, one of Feli's bags started bouncing on its own.

"Why's that bag jumping?" Amira asked.

"N-No reason!"

As the bag's jumps got higher and somewhat more aggressive, some of us back up a bit (including me). The only ones who didn't were the four girls who've been here before. Five, if you count Raina.

"Miss Feli. Please tell me you didn't…" Lily said.

"D-Did what?! I-I don't know what you're talking about, Lily!"

" _Feli…_ " Raffina said while staring her down.

…

…

…

" **OKAY, FINE!** " She shouted. She then went to open the bag and out from it, a huge dog (and I mean **HUGE** ) jumped out and landed on Feli. Licking her face repeatedly.

" _ ***giggle***_ O-Okay, okay! I missed you too, Bal! J-Just _***giggle***_ J-Just get off of me! _Hahahaha!_ " Feli said.

"ARF ARF!"

" **H-H-HOLY CRAP! THAT DOG IS HUGE!** " Nearly everyone shouted.

" _ **Doggie!**_ " Raina cheered as she began playing with the huge K-9.

"Everyone. This is Feli's dog, Baldanders. He was supposed to stay home, but _**apparently,**_ Feli snuck him over here." Raffi said.

"W-Woah…"

"What?! You actually thought I was going to leave my precious Bal all alone by himself?! That's animal cruelty, Raffina!"

"But we have no room for him, Feli!"

"He could stay outside! Like back home!"

" _You mean where he's supposed to be right now…_ " Raffi grew a pissed off look.

" _Please, cousin?_ " Feli looked at her with really big and cute puppy dog eyes.

"Come on, Raffina. Let Bal stay." Amira said.

"It's too late to send him back now." Lily added.

" _I want Big Doogie to stay!_ " Raina yelled.

…

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. Bal can stay." Raffi eventually gave in.

" **Yay!** Thanks, cousin! Say thank you, Bal!"

"ARF!" Baldanders licked Raffina repeatedly as his sign of gratitude.

" **Okay, okay, Bal! You're welcome! Just stop licking me!** " Raffi grabbed a nearby towel and wiped her face of dog drool. "Hopefully, that's the last of the surprised guest."

"Um…a-actually, Raffina. I-I need to admit something." Lidelle said.

"Sweetie…please tell me you didn't." Yumi said to her daughter.

"How could I, Mother? I didn't want him to be alone!"

"Leave who alone?" Sig asked.

Lidelle went silent for a bit. But after a quick sigh…

" **Poochy! Here, boy!** "

"Poochy?" Some of us asked.

Then in no time flat, a pale white ghost thing came out of Lidelle's shirt and landed in her hands. Licking her face repeatedly.

" _ ***giggle***_ O-Okay, okay, Poochy! I missed you too!"

" _ARF ARF!_ "

" **W-W-W-W-W-WOAH! WH-WHAT IS THAT THING?!** " I asked.

"This is Poochy. My…dog. Actually, he's really a lost soul. A living being that forgets everything about their past life when they die. They use shapeshifting powers to figure out who they were, but they never do."

"W-Wow, Lidelle. That's…depressing."

"Yeah, that's what I thought. But Poochy doesn't seem to care. Right, Poochy?"

" _ARF ARF!_ "

"Good boy!"

"Still…I can't believe you snuck him over here, Lidelle." Ringo said.

"How the hell did we not notice?" Rulue asked.

"Well, I didn't "sneak" him over. I made it obvious."

"How so?" Ringo asked.

"Didn't you noticed how I had a tail at the train station?"

"What?" Most of us were in disbelief. And I say "most of us" because…

"I did."

"You did?" Raffi asked Chu. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because honestly…I thought Rita having a tail was normal."

…

…

…

Ally then started snickering while placing her hands over her mouth, in an attempt to hold in her laughter.

" **BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** "

She failed.

" _ **Ally!**_ " Lidelle whined.

" **I'm sorry, Lidelle! But that was just too damn funny!** "

" _ **Jerk!**_ " Lidelle then calmed down a bit before talking again. "So, Raffina. Can Poochy stay? I promise he'll be on his best behavior."

" _Ugh._ Fine, Lidelle." Raffi didn't even bother protesting this time. I guess she saw no point in it.

" **Yay!** You hear that, Poochy? You get to stay here with me!"

" _ARF ARF!_ " Poochy began licking Lidelle again with glee.

" _ ***giggle***_ I know, boy. I'm happy, too."

"Anyway." Lily began explaining the living situation. "This is how the rooms are. There are five bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor, four bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor, and then the attic."

"I'm taking the attic." Schezo said without hesitation.

"Wh-Why?" Arle asked him.

"It sounds like the only place to be alone."

"You're going to have to come out eventually, Schezo." I said.

"I know. For food and stuff."

"No, to actually have fun for once in your 180-year-old life." Raffi said.

" **W-Wait, what?! You're 180?!** " Draco asked.

"No wonder you keep saying perverted things." Witch said.

" **M-My age has nothing to do with that!** "

" _If you say so…Ohhohoho._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Anyway, you said I didn't have to do anything."

"Yeah, that was when we were trying to get Arle and Sig together. But since they did it themselves, we're gonna make you have fun here."

"Wait, what was that last part?" Sig asked.

"I'll tell you later, Sig." Arle said to him.

"B-But…"

"No buts, Schezo. My birthday, my rules."

" **Tch!** Fine, damnit! But I'm still getting the attic!"

"Fine. Go ahead."

"Hmph. Then with that over with, I'm going to bed."

" **What?! It's still morning!** "

"Just let it go, Raffina. That's just how he is." Arle said as Schezo started heading up to the attic to sleep.

 _That boy just loves being alone in darkness, huh?_

"S-So, I was thinking the adults would get the bottom rooms while the teens get top ones."

"Huh? For what reason, Miss Raffina?" Lily asked.

"Don't you get it, Lily?" Amira said. " _Some are planning to boink tonight._ _ ***giggle***_ "

" **W-WE'RE NOT!** " Raffi, Lidelle, Ally, Arle, and I shouted at Amira with bright red faces.

"What does boink mean?" Harpy asked.

"M-Miss Harpy. It's best if you didn't know." Lily said to her. "And besides, Miss Amira will be bunking with me."

" **What?!** " Amira shouted. " **Lily!** "

"Don't " **Lily!** " me. There is no way in hell I'm leaving you in a room by yourself."

" **Oh, come on, Lily! I'm not a kid anymore!** "

"But you still act like one." Raffi said.

" _ **You're not helping!**_ " Amira whined.

"So, why the upstairs, Miss Raffina?" Lily asked.

"Well, I figured that the boys would need their own room. So, there's that."

"You fine with bunking with me?" Klug asked Sig.

"Sure. As long as you don't snore."

"I don't." Klug grew insulted. "And how do I know you don't?"

"How can I know when I'm busy sleeping?"

"So, I see that your smartass trait is still there…" Klug said with a sweatdrop.

" _It truly never left. Just like the rest of his traits._ "

"Huh? You said something, Peruvis?" I asked her.

"H-Huh? N-No. I-I didn't say anything. J-Just forget it." Peruvis then turned away from all of us. Still wanting to be alone.

 _Okay, now I'm positive that something's bugging her. She hasn't made a perverted reference all morning. Maybe either Sig or Klug know what's up…_

"And then Harpy, Chu, and Raina could stay together in one room, Witch and Draco could stay in one room, and then the rest of us could share one room." Raffi continued.

"You sure had this all planned out, Miss Raffina." Lily said with a sweatdrop. "I guess I could allow it."

" _ ***sigh***_ Even on vacation, I still get paired up with this airhead."

"Gao! Will you quit calling me an airhead?!" Draco yelled at Witch.

"It's okay, Draco. There's a candy named after us!" Harpy cheered.

"Really?! A candy named after us?! Now, I'm _**really**_ craving it! When do we get some food?"

"Later." Raffi said.

" _Aw!_ " They both whined.

"So, then the last room is for the rest of us, Raffi?" I asked.

"Yep. That's it, Ami. Don't worry, it's pretty big."

" **Ooh! Let's go see it now!** " Ally said.

"Alright calm down, Ally. We'll each take about 20 minutes to get settled then head for the beach. Sounds good?"

Once everyone agreed, we each went to our rooms and relaxed for a little bit. This is only day 1 of our vacation and we're already tired. So, who knows what's going to happen next?

Like I said before. I just hope it isn't anything bad.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **The group's final summer event before school. A weekend getaway to a private beach owned by the Fieldings. It was all planned to be a relaxing time. But who's to say that…** _ **other things**_ **…will get in the way of that?**

 **At some point in this, a new chapter will be written. Not sure when, yet. I'm just doing a bunch of mass-rewriting at the moment.**

 **So, a quick announcement. I am officially putting an end to Feli's Summer Break. You see…it's been 7 months since I started that story. Probably a year at this point since I rewrote the whole thing once before. And there were times (multiple times, to be exact) that I just didn't feel all that motivated to write more chapters. Plus, it's not really a popular story. Each chapter getting like 5 views at the most. Taking about three weeks for it to reach double-digits. I know a failing story when I see one.**

 **Though, one thing's for sure. I'm not getting rid of the characters. Well…four of them.** **Futaba Okazaki, Hinata Moriyama, Naoko Araki, and Rin Sugihara will all return in some form. And I think I already have an idea in mind. Thought, it's just a thought for now.**

 **I appreciate those who liked the story. And the one that came before it. I liked it, too. At least for a while. Thank you to those who read them both. And thanks for reading this story, as always. Later.**


	57. Uroko & Yoko

**Chapter 57 – Uroko & Yoko**

 **Raffina's POV**

"Ladies, I present to you… **THE MASTER SUITE!** " I said as I kicked the double doors to reveal the room us teen girls will be using.

" **WHOA!** "

The room was huge. Bigger than the other rooms combined. The bed was probably a king-sized. Bt even with that, there was still room on the floor for futons. To the left of us was a giant flat screen that looked like it was never used. Don't know how that's possible. Since flat screens weren't a thing when we were last here.

" **Raffi! This room's huge!** " Ami yelled.

"We're seriously going to be using _**this**_ room?" Lidelle asked.

"Yep. Now you see why I was trying to convince Lily to let me use this room. It's usually my parent's room."

"Geez, your parents needed a room _**this**_ big? For what?" Ally asked.

"I honestly don't know. Probably some rich people stereotype."

"There are rich people stereotypes?" Arle asked.

"I thought rich people were too damn rich to have any." Ringo said.

"See? That's one of them." I grew insulted.

"S-Sorry."

"Still, though. This bed seems unnecessarily big." Feli said.

At some point, Rafisol had gotten on the bed and she ended up sinking down on it. To the point where we couldn't see her anymore.

" _ ***monotoned giggle***_ _It's squishy._ " We could barely hear her speak.

" **Sis!** " Ally shouted as she grabbed Rafisol's hand and began pulling her out of the bed. After a few tugs, she managed to get her out.

" **Sis, you okay?!** "

" _I'm okay, Onee-Chan. Try the squishy bed._ "

"Sis, beds aren't supposed to be squishy."

" _Oh._ " Was all Rafisol said.

We then started smelling this really bad odor. And after looking for a bit, we found where it was coming from.

"They're not supposed to smell, either." Ringo added.

"Geez, when was the last time Auntie and Uncle changed the sheets?" Feli asked while covering her nose.

"Probably the last time we were here." I said while doing the same thing.

"Hey, what's this button for?" Arle asked before she pressed it. Suddenly, the bed started to shake and in a quick flash, it disappeared inside the wall. The button disappearing with it.

…

…

…

"That was easy." I said.

"Yeah, at least the smell's gone." Amitie said.

"We'll just all have to use futons then." Lidelle said.

"No problem with that. I get to be closer to my girlfriend now." Ally said as she hugged and kissed her girlfriend.

" _ ***giggle***_ Ally…"

"And the same us." I said as I did the same thing to Amitie.

" _ ***giggle***_ Raffi…"

" _Geez. Get a ******* room._ "

"Woah. That was uncalled for." Ally said to Peruvis after she had swore under her breath.

"Well, maybe you should think about not sucking up each other's damn faces in front of people. Ever ******* thought of that?"

" _Woah…_ " Rafisol said.

"What the hell, Peruvis?!" I yelled. "You've been acting like this all morning and it's pissing everyone off!"

"Well, _**sorry**_! I didn't mean to sour you romantic moment. Just don't show it off like a freaking whore is all I'm goddamn asking!"

" **Wh-What?!** "

" **Wh-Who are you calling a whore, you freaking pervert?!** " Ami yelled. Trying to defend me.

"Well, you two should know. Since you both sexed it up while everyone was gone. Horny nymphos."

" **Wh-Wha…** _ **why you little…**_ " Both Ami and I were beyond pissed at this moment.

"Hey, can it, kid. Keep these idiotic thoughts to yourself." Phoenix said as he came out of Peruvis' back.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine, whatever. I'm out of here. This small space is pissing me off."

 _ **YOU'RE pissed off?! What about us?!**_

Peruvis then walked out of the room and slammed the two doors shut with a crap ton of force. To the point where they almost came of their hinges.

"W-Woah. Something must be _**really**_ bothering Peruvis if she's acting like that." Lidelle said.

"Maybe we should try and help her out." Arle said.

"Hmph. Who cares?" I asked. "If she wants to have a hissy fit, then we'll let her do it on her own."

"Raffi's right." Ami said. "Maybe Peruvis will go back to her usual self once she cools down for a bit. Let's just get changed for the beach."

"Well…if you guys think so."

* * *

After we had changed into our swimsuits, we head outside to meet up with everyone else. The only ones out there were Witch, Draco, and Harpy. Witch and Draco had on swimsuits, while Harpy still had on her white dress.

"Hey, guys." I called out to them.

"Hey, you guys." Witch said as she turned around, revealing her white and light-blue bikini. Well, that's what I noticed. Ami, Lidelle, and Feli noticed something else of hers.

"Cr-Crap…" Ami said.

"Sh-She's one of _**them**_ …" Lidelle said.

"Wh-Why, damnit? J-Just why?" Feli said.

"Don't tell me you three are still upset from earlier?" Ally asked.

" _ **How can we not?!**_ " All three of them whined.

You see, what happened was…damn, how should I put this? Technically…Ally, Rafisol, Ringo, and I were the only ones that weren't… _ **lacking**_ …in the chest department. And so, when this was pointed out, the others didn't take it so well.

Well…mainly the three that I mentioned. From the look on Arle's face, it looked like she had given up already.

 _Geez. Poor girl._

"Uh…what's with them?" Witch asked.

"They're upset because they're flat-chested."

" **Way to be blunt about it, Ally!** " The flat-chested trio yelled at her.

"Oh. I see." Witch gained a sweatdrop.

" **It's just not fair! How is it that we're around the same age, yet we can't grow any bigger?!** " Ami whined. She was wearing a white bikini with red hearts all over.

" **It's shameful having to feel self-conscious about this all the time!** " Lidelle shouted. Her bikini was a similar design to Ami's, but completely green.

" _ **I would've gotten mine a perfect size for my age! And even help you three! But freaking Raffina won't let me!**_ " Feli whined. Much like Ami and Lidelle's, Feli's was similar but black and purple.

"Feli…No charms!" I said.

" _B-But…_ "

" **No!** "

" _Fine._ "

"Oh, come on, you guys." Ringo said. "There's nothing wrong with having…well…how should I say it?"

" _Itty-bitty-titties?_ "

" **Rafisol!** " We shouted at her.

"I don't see why you guys are so upset. So, what if you look like a little kid because you have itty-bitty-titties?"

" **Draco!** " We then shouted at her.

" _ ***giggle***_ Itty-bitty-titties."

" **Harpy!** " We then shouted at her.

At this point, Ami, Lidelle, and Feli were crouched down on the sand wallowing to themselves.

 _Great. Now, these idiots made it worse._

"What's with these three?" Rulue asked as she walked towards us. She had on a red mini-shirt with white flowers on it for a design underneath a clear white veil. Her turquoise beach skirt also had flowers on it with it revealing her right leg, and she also had on blue-ish sandals white and pink flowers on the top.

"They're upset because they have itty…"

 ***BONK***

" **OW! QUIT HITTING ME, DAMNIT!** " Draco shouted at Witch after she had hit her with her broom.

 _Wait, why the hell is she carrying a broom?_

"I'll stop when you learn to behave."

" **GAO!** "

"Anyway, They're upset because they don't have a…bigger chest." I said.

" _You mean tig 'ol bitties?_ "

" _ **Gaaaaaaaaaah…**_ " The trio whined again.

"When will you learn to keep your idiotic thoughts to yourself?" I scolded Raina.

" _Huh? But aren't these your thoughts, too?_ "

…

…

…

"D-Damnit…" I facepalmed.

"Oh. Well, that sucks. I guess."

"See? Rulue understands." Ami said.

"Ami…" I said with a sigh.

"What's with you, Ami?" Melody asked as she, Lily, Amira, and Yumi joined us.

" **Why, Mom? Why did you have to curse me with this nightmare?! It's so embarrassing!** "

"Ami, what the hell are you talking about?"

"She's pretty much blaming you for giving her a small chest." Ally said.

"What?! How's that my fault?! I can't control such a thing! The process must be different here than back in France!"

"Wait, France?" Lidelle asked.

"Oh, yeah. My mom's from France. Paris, to be exact."

" **W-Wait, seriously?! You're French, Melody?!** " Ally asked with complete shock.

"You never noticed?" Melody asked right back. "You've known us since you and Ami were in kindergarten."

"W-Well, it wasn't made obvious for us. Right, Sis?"

" _I knew._ "

"What?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

" _I thought you knew, Onee-chan._ "

" _Ugh._ " Ally then went silent for a bit. "Wait, how do we know you're not just making this up?"

"She has a point." Lidelle said. "You do like to troll people. Mainly, your own daughter."

" _Though, it can be funny._ " Feli whispered to her.

" _That's a fact._ "

"I can hear you both, you know." Ami clearly sounded insulted.

"You mean I seriously have to prove it to you?" Melody was getting annoyed with this whole thing rather quickly. Which was a total shock to me. Her getting annoyed is just as rare as finding 100 Credits on the floor.

"Prove what?" Sig asked. He was walking up to us with Klug and Chu with him.

"We just found out that Melody's from France and can speak French fluently." Arle said.

"And we want to make sure she isn't messing with us." Lidelle added.

"Chu, you speak French, right? Can you translate what Melody's saying?" Ally asked.

"Sure, Ally."

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever. Let's just get this over with." Melody then cleared her throat as she faced Chu.

"Bonjour, ma belle fille et mes amis. Je m'appelle Melody. Agréable de vous rencontrer tous."

"She said: "Hello there, my lovely daughter and friends. My name is Melody. Nice to meet you all."."

"Je suis ici en vacances avec ma fille pour célébrer l'anniversaire de sa petite amie."

"She said: "I'm here on a beach vacation with my daughter to celebrate her girlfriend's birthday."."

"Bon anniversaire. Raffina, Raina et Arle."

"She said: "Happy birthday. Waffine, Raina, and Aruru."

"Holy crap!" Ally yelled.

"She really can speak French!" Lidelle said.

"My mind is blown!" Ringo said.

"Even when translating from another language, she still got our names wrong." Arle and I said with an exasperated sweatdrop.

" _Est-ce suffisant pour vous?_ "

"She said: "Is that enough proof for you?"."

"Okay, fine. I believe you now." Ally said.

"Good." Melody said with a smile.

"Still, it was quite a shock when we found out you were a French girl going to a Japanese-ish high school, Melody-senpai." Yumi said.

 _Japanese-ish?_

"What in the right mind made you want to leave The Love Capital of the World and live in Suzuran all by yourself?" Rulue asked.

"Easy. I just got bored with it."

" **THAT'S** your reason?!" We all shouted with a deadpan look on our faces.

"Only you could ever say something like that, Melody-senpai." Lily said with a facepalm.

"Well, I still had fun when I brought you guys there to meet my family. Harmony even told me herself that she enjoyed it."

"Where is Harmony-senpai, anyway?"

" **M-M-M-Melody!** "

"There she is."

We looked over to see Ms. Accord hiding behind the door with only her bright red face showing. Popoi was sitting on her head trying not to laugh at his owner's embarrassment.

"Geez, Harm. What took you so long?" Melody asked.

" **D-D-D-Don't give me that! H-H-H-How could you make wear something so embarrassing?!** "

"You say that to everything that's not your usual clothes."

"And we even spent that entire day picking out swimsuits for all of us." Yumi said.

"And that one I picked out matched you perfectly, Harmony." Rulue added.

" _B-But…_ "

"Just come out already, Harmony!" Melody said.

…

…

…

" _F-Fine…_ " Ms. Accord finally gave up. she then opened the door fully to reveal that she was wearing a swimsuit similar to Rulue's, but the mini-shirt was white, the skirt was light-blue, and instead of flowers, there were musical notes on the mini-shirt, skirt, and sandals.

We were blown away with seeing our old teacher in such a swimsuit, let alone any at all.

"W-Wow." Ally and Lidelle said.

"M-Ms. Accord…" Ami and I said.

…

…

…

" **YOU LOOK SOOOO CUTE!** " The four of us then shouted with total glee. Completely excited to be seeing our old teacher wearing something so feminine for once.

" **GAAAAAAH! So embarrassing!** " Ms. Accord got even redder. " **And it's even worse since you took my glasses!** "

"We gave you contacts." Melody said.

" **How can I put them on when I never open my eyes?!** "

" _She never opens her eyes?_ " Feli whispered to Lily.

" _It's a weird trait of hers. We don't get it, either._ "

"Oh, come on, Harmony-senpai. I think it looks cute on you." Yumi said.

"It could've been worse, meow."

"See, even Popoi agrees."

"W-Well…I-I do kinda like it. A-A little."

"See? You look fine." Rulue said. "Swimsuits look good on you, Harmony."

"That reminds me…how come you two aren't wearing any?" Ally asked Klug and Sig.

"Chu wants to go hunting for seashells. So, I'm tagging along with her." Sig said.

"Seashells!" Chu sounded happy. But, like all the other times, you can't really tell by just looking at her emotionless face.

"And I don't really plan on going in the water. Like, at all." Klug said.

"That's not a valid excuse, Klug." Amitie said.

"Huh?! What do you mean not valid?!"

"Klug, just admit that you can't swim already." Lidelle said.

"Wh-What?! Th-That's preposterous! Of course, I can swim! I-I just…don't want to right now."

" _Right…_ " By this point, we all figured out that Klug can't swim. But he's clearly not going to admit it. So, we just left it alone…for now.

"And how come you're not wearing a swimsuit, Harpy?" Ally asked her.

…

…

…

"What's a swimsuit?"

 _I'm not even going to bother…_

"I'll tell you later, Harpy." Ally gained a sweatdrop.

 _I don't understand how Ally has so much patience with this airheaded angel._

"So, that everyone, right?" I asked.

"Except Schezo. I don't think he's coming out." Arle said.

"Figures. That hermit never does anything fun. Unless it involves fighting someone." Witch said.

"Yeah, true."

"Hey, where's Peruvis?" Sig asked.

"Off walking somewhere." I said. "The girl just completely snapped at us out of nowhere and then Phoenix convinced her to go calm her ass down."

"Wait, she snapped?"

"She's been acting upset all day so far. And we don't really know why." Ringo said.

"I see. Maybe she just needs some space."

" _Hopefully, this "space" calms her down._ " I grumbled to myself.

"Well, whatever. Let's go!" Ami cheered as most of us ran towards the ocean with no hesitation at all.

* * *

About two hours in and everyone was out around doing their own thing. As the adults sitting around the lounge chairs, still trying to convince Ms. Accord that she looks good in her swimsuit, most of us were in the water. With Ami and I getting out because we were hungry.

We grabbed a few snacks from the house and brought it outside in case anyone else wanted some. And we sat on the blanket eating together. Our first time alone together on this birthday beach trip of mine.

"Having fun, Ami?"

"Yep. Sure am. And especially since I'm with you, Raffi."

" _ ***giggle***_ I feel the same way."

We both shared a kiss on the lips (after we swallow the food in our mouths, obviously) and wrapped our arms around each other. Passionately cuddling as we enjoyed the other's company.

"You know…you look really cute in that bikini, Raffi." Ami said as she pointed out my orange & white two-piece bikini.

"Do I? I wasn't trying to impress you or anything. I just liked the color pattern."

"I see. Still looks _cute_ on you. Much like everything else you wear."

" _ ***giggle***_ Ami, you're so sweet." I gained a smile on my face. We then came together once more and participated in a longer make-out session. I felt my body getting warmer as I cuddled against Ami's petite-built body. Our lips and tongues fighting for dominance. And soon, we fell onto the blanket with me on top. We were both getting excited. **WAY** too excited for where we currently were right now.

Should we do it? Should we risk our dignity and self-respect and perform the act of love out here in the open? I know it's a stupid (and illegal) thing to do, but…my body…my heart…my now perverted mind…it all just can't resist anymore.

And from the look on Ami's face, I can tell that she was feeling the same way.

" _Ami…_ "

" _Raffi…I want it. I want it all._ "

And it was officially decided that we didn't care anymore. We were going to make love right here on this open beach and we wouldn't care who saw us.

…

…

…

Well…that's what we wanted to do. But even then, we still couldn't do it. Mainly because…

" _ ***snoring noise***_ _Zzz…_ "

We both got suddenly started. And it was then that we finally noticed that Harpy was sleeping **RIGHT BEHIND US!**

"H…How…H-How long was she here?" Ami asked with a full blushed face.

"I-I-I…I-I don't know, Ami." I responded with the same amount of blush.

"Wow. You two were about to sex it up in front of Harpy?" Ally asked as she stood over us while holding a surfboard. "I guess Peruvis was right about you two being nymphos."

" **L-Like hell, she is!** " We both yelled.

" _ ***snoring noise***_ _Tubular…Zzz…_ "

 _Man. Harpy's a heavy sleeper._

"So, what's here to eat here? I'm starving." Ally asked.

"Just these snacks. We have to go to the store later and get stuff to cook for dinner tonight." I said.

"Yeah, we could cook… **or we could go to Burrito Bell!** "

"Ally, we are not going to Burrito Bell." Ami said.

" _Aw,_ why not?! I saw one as we were walking here and I've dying to eat some again!"

"No."

" _ ***whine***_ "

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask. What's Burrito Bell?" I asked.

"You've heard of Taco Bell, right?" Ami asked.

"Yeah."

"Well, Burrito Bell is basically Knockoff Taco Bell."

"I see…"

 _Knockoff Taco Bell? Eww…I can't even imagine the explosive diarrhea you can get from that._

"No, it is not!" Ally argued. "Burrito Bell is **COMPLETELY** different from Taco Bell! They have tons of burritos."

"Taco Bell has tons of burritos too, you know." Ami claimed.

"Yeah, but Taco Bell's burritos make you crap all day."

"So does Burrito Bell's."

"Yeah, but it's not as smelly."

"Okay! I'm done having this conversation!" I said while getting up from the blanket. "I'm going back in the water."

"Yeah, me too." Ami said.

"Well, I'm going to try surfing a little." Ally said.

"You can surf, Ally?" I asked.

"No. But it's worth a try, isn't?"

"Uh…" Both of us weren't too sure about that logic being used for something as dangerous as surfing.

"Anyway… **let's get YOLO!** "

"What?"

"You know…You Only Live Once."

"Let's get You Only Live Once?" Ami asked.

"That makes sense to you?" I asked.

"You two ask too many questions. You seriously need to get YOLO."

"Wh-What does that…" I was going to ask Ally just what in the hell is she talking about, but Ami stopped me. Saying to just give it up already.

" **YOLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!** " Ally yelled as she ran towards the ocean with a surfboard in hand. She jumped in the air and placed the surfboard underneath her, preparing to land in the water. Everyone else in the water saw this and got out of dodge quickly. Scarred as hell that a surfboard was going to hit them in the head.

Ally did make an impact. But…

 ***SLAM***

" **OUCHIE!** "

…

…

…

"D-Did the ocean just say…ouchie?" Ringo asked.

"Y-Yeah. I-I think it did." I said.

" _Woah…_ I think I sucker-punched the ocean, guys!" Ally cheered.

"Ally, get out of the water!" Lidelle yelled out.

Soon after Ally got on land, bubbles started forming from underneath her board. And out from it popped out what looked like a girl with gills. Rubbing the top of her head.

" _Ouchie, ouchie, ouchie! That really hurt! Just another bad thing that's happened to me since I got here!_ " The girl whined.

None of us knew what to do or who this girl was. I then looked over to Arle, Witch, and Draco, who were talking amongst themselves.

"Uh, Arle. Isn't that…" Witch asked.

"Yep. It really is." Arle said.

"I'm gonna say hi!" Draco cheered.

"No, Draco! You know how easily scared she is."

"Arle, you guys know that girl?" Amitie asked.

"Yeah, we do. That's…"

" _ ***yawn***_ Hey guys. Why is it so quiet?" Harpy asked as she woke up from her nap.

"Harpy…look over there." Witch said to her.

"Huh?" Harpy then looked at the ocean and saw what we were seeing. Unlike the rest of us, who had looks of confusion and a little fear, Harpy grew a look of complete and utter joy.

" **SERIRI!** "

" **GAAH!** H-Harpy?!"

Harpy flew over to the girl and latched herself onto her. Giving her as much affection as a pet would when they haven't seen their owner for a long time.

" **I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY** _ **REEEEAALY**_ **MISSED YOU, SERIRI! I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!** "

"Y-You did?! W-Well, I…m-missed you too, Harpy! I-I'm happy to see you, too!" The girl said while blushing.

We had no idea what was happening.

"Hey, Arle. Isn't that the girl you told me about yesterday?" Sig asked.

"Yeah, that's her. Harpy's best friend."

"Harpy's best friend?" The rest of us asked.

"I'll explain. Hey, Harpy! Bring Seriri over here!"

" **Okay!** "

Harpy then flew back to us with the girl hiding behind her. Her arms around Harpy like she's holding a teddy bear.

"H-Hello…A-Arle, W-Witch, Dr-Draco. N-Nice to…s-see you…a-again." She stuttered.

 _Whoa. And I thought Lidelle's stuttering was bad._

"Seriri, you don't have to be so scared. These are our friends." Arle said.

"Fr-Fr-Friends?"

"Yeah. They helped take care of us and we became great friends with them."

"I-I-I s-s-s-see."

" _Seriri…stop being a fraidy-cat._ " Harpy said.

"Sorry, Harpy."

"She didn't stutter that time." I said.

"Yeah, Seriri's most comfortable when she talks to Harpy." Witch said. "In fact, she's most comfortable whenever she's **NEAR** Harpy."

"Really now?"

"Yep! This is my most tubular friend in the whole wide world! Seriri!" Harpy cheered. Seriri did a simple wave at us. Still a little scared.

"Seriri, huh?" Ally asked. "That's a cute name."

"Th-Thank…y-you. B-But it's m-more-so a n-nickname."

"A nickname?" Lidelle asked.

"M-My real name is…U-Uroko…S-Sakana…B-Bito. **WAH! I HATE THAT NAME SO MUCH!** " Seriri hid behind Harpy again.

"Uroko Sakana Bito?" Ringo asked.

"It means "Scaly Fish Person" in Japanese." Chu said.

"Scaly Fish Person?" Ami asked.

"Well, you see…Seriri's a mermaid." Arle said.

" **Huh?!** " We all shouted.

It took us a while to notice it because Seriri was hiding behind Harpy so much, but we did eventually gained a view of her mermaid tail.

" _Woah…_ " We said.

" **GAH!** **A-Arle! Wh-Why d-d-did y-y-you s-say th-that?!** " Seriri yelled in fear. " **N-Now th-they're…g-gonna…e-e-eat me!** "

"Eat you?" We asked.

"Seriri believes in this legend that if you eat a mermaid, you'll become immortal." Witch explained. "We keep telling her it's not true, but her fears and shyness keep clogging her sense of reasoning."

"I see." Ally said. "Well, Seriri. I can assure you that no one here is going to eat you."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah, Seriri. You can definitely trust Ally. She's my most tubular friend, too!" Harpy said.

…

…

…

"O-Okay. If you say they're friendly, Harpy…then I'll believe you."

" **YAY!** " Harpy cheered as she started nuzzling Seriri on her cheek, which made Seriri blush like crazy.

"Okay, I'm starting to see it now, Arle." Sig said.

"Yeah, it's pretty obvious now." Arle said.

"What's obvious?" Ami asked.

"I'll tell you guys later."

Seeing how Arle know a lot about her friends from her world, one question just came up in my mind and now I want to ask it.

"Hey, Arle. Since Seriri has a real name, does Harpy have one too?" I asked.

" **Tch!** " That's when Harpy froze in nervousness.

"Yeah, she does. Although, much like Seriri, she hates it a lot."

"Really? What is it?"

" **NOT TELLING!** " Harpy yelled.

" **What?!** " We yelled.

"Come on, Harpy! We want to know what it is!" Ringo yelled.

" **NO! NOT TELLING!** "

"You won't even tell me?" Ally asked.

" **NO! NOT TELLING!** "

" _Aw!_ "

"Come on, Harpy. I told them my real name. It's only fair." Seriri said to her. After giving her a few nuzzles, Harpy finally gave in.

"Okay, Seriri. Anything for my most tubular friend."

Harpy went silent for a bit while her cheeks turned red from possible embarrassment (which is a first for me since meeting her). Then after a few seconds…

"My real name is…Y-Yoko Tamura."

"Yoko Tamura? Harpy…that's such a cute name." Lidelle said.

" **No, it's not! It's a stupid name and I hate it!** "

"Don't worry, Harpy. I hate your real name too." Seriri said.

"Thanks, Seriri. And I hate your real name, too."

"You know…it really makes sense how they're best friends." Ringo said with a sweatdrop.

"Yeah, with their names being Uroko and Yoko." Feli added.

" _ **D-Don't call us that!**_ " Both Harpy and Seriri whined with blushed faces.

 _Wow. This has to be the first time I've ever seen Harpy embarrassed since we first met her. It's actually kinda funny._

"Well, anyway. We're all about to get something to eat. You want to join us, Seriri?" I asked.

" **S-Something to eat?! J-Join you?!** "

"We're not going to eat you."

"O-Oh. R-Right. O-Okay th-then, uh…"

"You can just call me Raffina."

"O-Okay…R-Raffina. Th-Thank Y-You."

We all went back inside the house to change into more comfortable clothes and eat some food. Seriri kept hiding behind Harpy the entire trip there. With the two nuzzling cheeks every so often.

I don't really get what's up with these two, but I guess it's going to take a while for her to trust the rest of us. And to get over her fear of being eaten.

…

…

…

 _Still, though. I wonder if that legend really is true…_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Day 1 of the beach vacation continues with the reunion of best friends Harpy and Seriri! Honestly, these two are my favorite pairing. Seriri being in love with Harpy…but Harpy's too much of an airhead to notice it. Yet, she always shows the most affection towards Seriri. Just a duo of lovable idiots.**

 **Just a reminder, I am aware that champions changed Seriri's name to Serilly. I'm just not going to use it. I've known her as Seriri since the day I saw her and that's what I'm sticking with.**

 **You guys remember how I stated that Harpy was referred to as Yoko Tamura in the Mega Drive version of one of the Madou games and it was claimed to be her real name? Well, since then, it was confirmed to be nothing more than a joke. And that "Harpy" is her actual name.**

 **I'm still going to use it, though. This story is not canon to any of the games so it doesn't really affect anything.**

 **And I still stand my ground on saying that there were too many characters to describe all the swimsuits. And the fact that they were all girls makes it even more difficult. That's just how it is.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	58. The Quest of the Great Rage King

**Chapter 58 – The Quest of the Great Rage King**

 **Lidelle's POV**

After we introduced ourselves to Seriri, the rest of the day was pretty much as if we didn't encounter a mermaid in the middle of a private beach. That night, however, our group of girls, plus Klug, Sig, and Chu (Peruvis was still gone. Where did she go?) were in the big room deciding on what to do for a couple of hours.

At first, we just wanted to talk about girl stuff, but we decided against it. Mainly for two reasons: Klug and Sig were with us. And Chu, although a girl herself, wouldn't understand anything we bring up or wouldn't bother to pay attention. Or both.

…

I'm going with both.

And then, Rafisol was already asleep in her futon. Despite the noise we're making, she's sleeping through all of it. She's surprisingly a heavy sleeper.

"We could play a game together." Ringo suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea." Raffina said."

"Yeah…but first, some rules." Amitie said.

"Rules?" We all asked. Amitie them made a close fist with her right hand and raised up on finger.

"First off, no Panel de Pon."

" **What?!** " Raffina yelled.

Amitie then raised up a second finger.

"Second, no Mario Kart."

" **Aw, come on!** " I yelled.

Amitie then raised up a third finger.

"And third, no Space Harrier."

" **Are you serious?!** " Ally yelled.

"Hey, I'm just being fair to all of us."

"Alright, fine. No Chu Chu Rocket."

" **What?! That's not fair!** "

"Nice try, Ami! You were just trying to get us to play that game! I saw right through you!"

" ** _*groan*_** Alright, Detective Ally. What should we play then?"

"I don't know. You banned my favorite game."

"Ours too." Raffina and I added.

"Can't we just pick a game and play already?" Feli asked.

"You three haven't said anything. Got any ideas?" Ringo asked Klug, Sig, and Chu.

"I'm not really knowledgeable about video games." Klug said. "So, I can't really help you."

"I see. What about you, Sig?"

…

"Sig?"

…

" **Sig!** "

"Huh? Oh sorry. I had earbuds on."

"Earbuds? For what?" Arle asked.

"This game Chu and I are playing. Puzzle & Dragons."

" _Ugh…_ " We all said. (Except Raffina, Klug, and Arle.)

"Seriously? _**That**_ game?" Amitie asked.

"What's Puzzle & Dragons?" Raffina asked.

"This dungeon-crawling RPG puzzle game that **NEVER** ends." I said.

"The difficulty can be rather annoying, too." Feli added.

"It isn't really that difficult." Sig said.

"Which one is it?" Ally asked.

"The one on the 3DS."

" **Oh, God! That's the hardest one of them all!** "

"How is it hard? It's a simple RPG."

"Sig, none of us have the time or patience to play an RPG." Amitie said.

"A what?" Raffina asked.

"Role-Playing Game."

"Role-Playing Game? What's that?"

…

…

…

"Girly." Ally, Ringo, Feli, and I muttered under our breaths.

" **I'M NOT GIRLY!** "

"Gah! We're getting distracted. And we've still don't have a game to play." Ally said.

"You have any ideas, Arle?" Amitie asked.

"You just take an orb and move over to ones of the same color."

"Okay… **Woah! I did a 12-chain!** "

"That's pretty lucky, Aruru."

"There's fire and water flying around! And…grass?"

"That's how you attack. With Fire, Water, Grass, Light, and Dark magic."

" **Woah! So cool! This is totally like Puyo!** "

Arle had lost interest in our debate and went over to learn from the Duranné siblings on how play Puzzle & Dragons.

 _Welp. We've lost those three._

" _ ***sigh***_ Come on, damnit. Pick up already." We then saw Klug angrily talking to his phone. Which made us all curious.

"What's up, Klug?" I asked.

"It's Peruvis. She's still outside somewhere and now she isn't answering my calls or texts."

"She's **STILL** out there?" Ally asked.

"We haven't seen her all day. Now, I'm really worried." Ringo said.

"For what?" Amitie asked. "I'm sure that she still wants to be alone or something."

"No way." Sig said. "I've known Peruvis since we were in kindergarten together. Her being this mad and isolated isn't normal."

"Shigu. Let's go look for Peridi." Chu said with a worried-sounding tone.

"Sure thing, Chu."

"I'm coming with you guys. Klug said.

"Me, too." Ringo said.

"Huh?" The remaining five of us were surprised.

"You're going too, Ringo?" I asked.

"Peruvis and I have become great friends. To be quite honest, I've been worried about her since that outburst this morning. I want to know what's bothering her."

"Be careful, you guys. It's getting dark out." Amitie said.

"We'll be fine." The group of four said as they left the room to search for Peruvis.

 _I really do hope she's okay. It looked like something was hurting her. Emotionally._

"So, now what?" Feli asked.

"Really? That's on here? Huh. Well Thanks, Amira." Raffina was on the phone with her sister and had just hung up.

"What was that about, Raffi?" Amitie asked.

"I asked Amira if we had any games here from last time. She said we have this fighting game from long ago. Uh…crap, what was it called again? Oh, yeah. Duper Bash Sisters."

…

…

…

The room went dead silent as we stared at Raffina with looks of…I-I don't even know how to describe it right now. What she just said just has me in shock. How can anyone be _**THIS**_ oblivious to video games?!

"Uh…R-Raffi. Wh-What did you say it was called?"

"Duper Bash Sisters."

"R-Raffina…I-It's pronounced… _ **Super Smash Brothers**_." Ally said.

"Huh? But I could've sworn it was called…"

"No. It's not." We all said.

…

…

…

"I-I'm…I-I'm going to bed." Raffina said with extremely red cheeks. She dug herself underneath her futon to the point where we couldn't see her entire body anymore.

We didn't really do anything for the rest of the night after that little experience.

* * *

The next day Raffina was still embarrassed about the whole game thing and didn't want to do anything. While Amitie and Feli were trying to cheer her up and Sig, Chu, Klug, and Ringo went looking for Peruvis again (she wasn't found last night. Now it's getting tense) Ally, Arle, and I decided to just walk around the beach a bit.

"Wait, so Raffina's never heard of Super Smash Brothers?" Arle asked. She wasn't paying attention last night due to her playing Puzzle & Dragons the whole time. So, we were telling her what happened with Raffina.

"Nope." I said. "She had no idea of its existence. She even called it Duper Bash Sisters."

"Duper Bash Sisters? Ouch."

"Yeah, poor Raffina. She's still embarrassed about it, too." Ally said.

"We should just give her some space for today. Not make her feel any worse." I said.

"Agree." Both girls replied.

"So what's with the matching shell necklaces, you two? Showing off?" Arle asked.

"No, we're not. Chu found a lot of small shells yesterday and she made them into necklaces yesterday."

"We just happened to get the same pattern." Ally added. "But there's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Exactly. Couples match in some of their clothes as I way to show that they love each other. It's a sweet gesture."

"Wait, so if that's the case…are you two are wearing matching bras and panties?" Arle asked.

" **N-NO!** " We both shouted with extremely blushed faces.

"I was just asking, sheesh. No need to yell."

"Arle. I'm pretty damn sure that there is no lesbian couple…scratch that, **ANY** couple that does such a thing." I said.

"Not even Amitie and Raffina? They look they love each other _**that**_ much to do such a thing."

"No way." Ally said. "Ami would never do such a thing because she still wears animal print underwear."

" **S-Seriously?!** " Arle and I both yelled in total shock.

"Yep. Ami is nowhere near as mature as people often think she is."

" _Whoa…_ "

 _I'm younger than Amitie and yet I wear more mature underwear than her. Kinda crazy._

* * *

As we kept on walking on the sandy white sands next to this surprisingly crystal clean clear water, we started talking about what happened yesterday while playing at the beach. The part where we found Seriri, the last person to be believed to have come out of the Dimensional Mirror.

"So, that's Schezo, Harpy, Rulue, Draco, Witch, and now Seriri." I made a list. "And with you, Arle, that makes seven people to have come from a different world."

"It's kinda insane, really." Ally said. "What, with Schezo being a dark wizard, Harpy being an angel, Draco being a half-dragon girl, and Seriri being a mermaid. I think Rulue and Witch are the only true humans to come from there."

"Yeah, but even then…Rulue was originally from this world and not much is really known about Witch. Aside from her weird name."

"I think Witch does have a real name." Arle said. "Though, I'm not really sure. She said something about passing a test first in order to officially use it."

"Pass a test? What kind of test is that?" I asked.

"Well…Witch is a Comet Magician, or whatever she calls it. She studies cosmically themed spells and constantly makes potions. Although, a lot of them are either worthless or overly specific."

"I see…" Ally and I both gained a sweatdrop.

 _Okay._ _ **NONE**_ _of the people from Arle's world are normal._

"You know…this kinda has me thinking, Arle." Ally said. "The Dimensional Mirror is forever broken. Meaning that you and only six other people are stuck in this world."

"What's your point, Ally?" Arle asked in a depressed mood.

"Wh-What I mean is…don't you wish it was more than just the six random people that got struck by lightning?"

"Oh, that. Well…" Arle went silent for a bit. "…Yes…but also no."

"Yes…but also no?" We didn't get what she meant by that.

"What I mean is…yes, there are some people that I wish were sent here too. Like my friend Chico that I mentioned earlier. But then there are people that I hope stay in that world for good. Like…well…I rather not mention those people. I kinda have bad blood with them."

"Oh…" We both said.

"Still, though…the more I think about it, I kinda do wish that more people came here. That way, it'll like home in some way."

"Do you have any thoughts on who you want?" I asked.

"Well…I know a lot of people. Picking a few isn't really that easy. Maybe someone like…"

 ***BOOM***

" **Whoa! What was that loud noise?!** " Ally asked.

 ***BOOM***

" **There it is again!** " Arle shouted.

 ***BOOM***

" **It sounds like it's coming from over there!** " I shouted.

 ***BOOM***

 ***BOOM***

 ***BOOM***

" **Let's hurry and check it out!** "

" **Right!** "

* * *

The three of us ran towards the area where the strange loud noise was coming from. When we got to an area with a bunch of palm trees, what we saw was…a bit strange.

 _Is that…an elephant?_

" _ **GRRR…**_ **IT'S HOT! IT'S SO DAMN HOT! SO FREAKING HOT THAT IT'S MAKING ME FILLED WITH RAGE! JUST THE THOUGHT OF EVEN BEING IN THIS DAMN HEAT IS MAKING ME BOIL WITH ANGER! HOW CAN ANYONE LIVE LIKE THIS?! WHOOOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

 _A-And it talks?! Wh-What the hell?!_

"Woah! A talking elephant! That's so freaking badass!"

"How is this badass?" I asked Ally.

"N-No way… **He's here too?!** " Arle asked in shock.

"Huh? Arle, you know this…elephant?"

"Yeah, he's from my world!"

" **R-Really?!** " Both me and Ally asked.

 _What a freaking coincidence…_

" **Hey! Zoh!** " Arle's yell managed to get the elephant's attention as he started calming down drastically.

"Huh? Arle? You're here as well?"

"Yeah, it's me. It's been a while since we've seen each other, Zoh."

"So it has."

"So you really do know him, Arle?" I asked.

"Oh, yeah. Lidelle, Ally. This is Zoh Daimaoh. He's an elephant king that rules a huge land in my world. He's one of those guys who pretty much knows everything about…well, everything."

"Woah. A king that knows everything…that's kinda like Akuma."

"An elephant king that knows all…this is so freaking cool!" Ally was clearly excited about this.

"Yes, it is." The elephant known as Zoh said. "A peaceful and rich country with me as its founder and king. Thinking of such a thing just gets me all excited… **I COULD JUST EXPLODE WITH HAPPINESS! WHOOOOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

" _ ***screams of terror***_ **HE'S ON FIRE!** " Ally and I shouted in fear.

" _Yeah_ …that's actually normal." Arle said.

" **WHAT?!** "

"Zoh has a **dangerously** short fuse and easily gets excited or mad at every given time. Depending on what that thing is."

…

…

…

" _Wh-What the hell?_ " Was all we could say to such a thing.

 _Yep. These people are_ _ **DEFINITELY**_ _not normal._

"H-Hey, Zoh. Could you calm down a bit? You're making it hotter than it's supposed to be."

"Huh? Oh, sorry. My apologies." Zoh said as the fire around him magically disappeared.

 _Not even going to question that…_

"So, anyway…Zoh, these are my friends Lidelle Namanari and Ally Nakano. They live in this world."

"Hiya." Ally said.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Zoh Daimaoh." I said with a bow.

"Such nice kids. You can just call me Zoh. Nice to meet you both, Ally and Lidelle."

Zoh seems like a nice guy…well besides the whole "catching on fire" thing. But other than that, he's fine.

"W-Wait a second…Arle, did you say that Lidelle's last name was…Namanari?"

"Yep. It is." Arle gained a sweatdrop. Probably still shocked as to who I am.

"So, I'm standing in front of…The Demonic Princess of Hell?!"

"In the flesh." I said with a smile.

"Wow! So exciting! Being acquainted with such a celebrity… **MY EXCITEMENT LEVEL IS GOING THROUGH THE ROOF!** **WHOOOOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

" _ ***giggle***_ Always glad to meet a fan."

"Lidelle, you are something else…" Ally gained a sweatdrop.

"So, uh…Zoh. How did you get here? Did you get zapped by a mysterious lightning bolt, too?" Arle asked.

"Mysterious lightning bolt?" Zoh grew a confused look. "No, not at all. I came here to look for a few things of mine."

"Wait, you got here on your own? How?"

"With something called the Green Puyo Hat."

The three of us went silent for a bit after hearing what Zoh just said. We thought we misheard him. But once he repeated himself, we were dead wrong.

"The… **TH-THE GREEN PUYO HAT?!** " We all shouted.

"Huh? You three know about the Puyo Hats?"

"Yeah, we do!" I said. "How do you know about them?!"

"Well, they're actually mine."

…

…

…

" **WHAT?!** " We shouted again.

"Well, they're _**supposed**_ to be mine, I mean. They're a secret royal treasure passed down in my family for generations. Heavily guarded to make sure they don't fall into the wrong hands. When it was my turn to do such a job, a mysterious evil force has made them all disappear. And I've been looking for them since."

" _Woah…_ "

"So how do you girls know what they are? Did you find them all?"

"Well, almost." Arle said.

"Our friend Amitie has been having problems with the red one." Ally said.

" _Grr…_ the red one. I've should've known! **I BET IT WAS THE ONE THAT MADE THE OTHERS DISAPPEAR! I SHOULD'VE ANNIHILATED THE DAMN DEMON WHEN I HAD THE CHANCE! WHOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

" **Zoh! Calm down!** " Arle yelled as Zoh caught on fire again as he shook the ground with his massive stomp.

"Oops. Sorry." The fire around Zoh disappeared once again.

"So, the Red Puyo Hat is always causing problems?" I asked.

"It is. It's believed that there is an evil demon inside the hat. Once sealed away in there over hundreds of years ago. We were never able to figure out who the demon is, how it got in the hat, or why it's there in the first place. Which is why they were all heavily guarded. When they disappeared, it became my duty to retrieve them all. After a long time searching, I had finally got a lead on one of them. The Green Puyo Hat. I was so close to reclaiming it… **BUT THEN THAT NUISANCE DEMON KING GOT IN THE WAY!** " Surprisingly, Zoh didn't catch on fire this time. Which is good cause I heard something that was really important to me.

"Wait…nuisance demon king?" Arle asked. "Zoh, you don't mean…"

"Yes. It's Satan. I don't know how he heard of it, but he grabbed the Green Puyo Hat right from under my trunk and opened up a portal. I gave chase and followed him inside. And I ended up here."

" _Aw, damnit._ He's here, too."

" _It's about time…_ " I mumbled to myself without thinking.

" _ **Lidelle!**_ " Ally whispered to me.

"Huh? What do you mean "It's about time"?" Arle asked me.

 _Now I've gone and done it…_

"W-Well…Arle…I-I've been meaning to tell you this, but…S-Satan's actually my older brother."

"And we figured out that he's in love with you." Ally added.

"Really, now?"

"You're not mad, are you?" I asked.

"No, Lidelle. I'm not mad. To be honest, I kinda had my suspicions that you two were related. Though, I can't believe Satan has a little sister. Don't know why he never brought you up in conversation."

"Rulue said the same thing." Ally said.

"Huh? Rulue? She's here too?" Zoh asked.

"Oh, yeah. Some of the others are here with me." Arle said to him.

"Others?"

"Along with Rulue, there's also Schezo, Harpy, Draco, Witch, and Seriri. All of us got sent here by something called the Dimensional Mirror."

"The Dimensional Mirror? That was here, too?"

"Yeah, but it was destroyed once we all came out."

"You know about the Dimensional Mirror too, Zoh?" Ally asked.

"Yeah, I do. It's a mysterious object, so very few people do."

"I see."

"So, Zoh. When did you last see my brother?" I asked.

"Well…after I got out of the portal, I ended up in front of this weird-looking building. It almost looked like his castle. Only it was made of sand."

"Sand?" We asked.

"Really strong sand, from what I saw. I wanted to go in and take the hat back, but this heat… **THIS DAMN HEAT! IT'S TOO HOT FOR ME TO RECLAIM WHAT'S MINE! IT MAKES ME SO ANGRY! WHOOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

In addition to Zoh's massive stomp and him catching on fire, he also started shooting out fire from his trunk. And we all backed off trying to not get hit by it.

" **ZOH! PLEASE, STOP!** " We shouted.

"Huh? Oh, sorry. That happens sometimes."

 _This guy…he's like a living volcano!_

"Well, we'll help you get the Green Puyo Hat back, Zoh." Arle said.

"Really? You will?"

"Yeah. Satan's my brother, so I know how to deal with him." I said.

"Plus, we have reasons of our own to find the Green Puyo Hat." Ally added. "Our friend really needs the other four."

"I see. Well, thank you all for your help."

"No problem, Zoh! Now, let's go!"

" _Fall in love?_ " I teased.

" **O-Oh my God, I'm gonna punch you!** "

I giggled at Ally's embarrassingly pissed off face. Then the three of us went with Zoh as he showed us where my brother's sandcastle was. It's been a long time since I've seen or heard from him. I've got some choice words for him once I see his face.

…

…

…

Side note, Ally never did punch me.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Just when the Dimensional 7 have been found, an 8** **th** **visitor has appeared and so has a 9** **th** **. Now, with Zoh's help, Lidelle, Ally, and Arle track down Satan and claim The Green Puyo Hat at long last.**

 **The plot of this chapter hasn't really changed much. The three girls run into Zoh, who claims that he's the owner of the Puyo Hats…admits that he was chasing after Satan, who has the Green Puyo Hat…and the group of four go after him. Just some minor changes like the length and such. Nothing really to point out.**

 **I think there's going to be one more rewritten chapter before putting this story on a break. And then a newly written one will come. I feel like a good break from this one is in order. I kinda want to…well…do something else real quick. You'll see next chapter.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	59. Mahō Shōjo Beach Crasher

**Chapter 59 – Mahō Shōjo Beach Crasher**

 **Ally's POV**

 _Damnit…I should've punched Lidelle for that comment when I had the chance._ _ ***sigh***_ _Whatever._

Anyway. Lidelle, Arle, and I followed Zoh to this giant sandcastle that he mentioned earlier. He wasn't kidding about its size. As the thing was freaking huge. And had the design of one of those castles during medieval times.

"Oh geez, another one of his tacky designs." Arle said.

"Tacky? How is this tacky?" I asked. "This is pretty cool-looking."

"Seriously?"

" _ **This**_ is cool to you?" Lidelle asked.

"How do you two not find a giant stable sandcastle such a freaking work of art?"

"Probably because we've seen this same design time and time again." Both girls said.

…

…

…

"Well, when you put it like that, it just drags down the aesthetics of this place. Kind of a shame, too. Pretty badass sandcastle."

"I'm going to ignore you now." Lidelle said as she was done trying to understand how I liked her brother's sandcastle. "So, you come here a lot, Arle?"

"Yeah, I do." Arle said with a sigh. "It's usually because of some stupid plot to get me to be with him. No matter how many times I say no, his thick skull just doesn't get it. It's truly annoying having to go to his castle every other day or so just to repeat the same damn thing all over again."

"I see. Well, let me just say that I apologize for what my idiot brother's being doing in your world. It's clear to me that he hasn't been doing his job at all."

"It's okay, Lidelle. I've pretty much gotten used to it. Plus, these past two months not having to deal with him and do what I want for a change has been the greatest time of my life. I've never felt so free before. It's great."

" _ ***giggle***_ Well, I'm glad you think that." Lidelle said with a smile.

 _Damn, that smile. It's so cute that I'm mad that she's giving it to Arle and not me. And I'm not the one to get jealous._

"So, is the Green Puyo Hat really in there, Zoh?" I asked.

"Yes. I can sense its power. And it's going wild, as well. Satan must be using it right now." Zoh said.

"And knowing how powerful Satan is, I can't even imagine what kind of trouble he's planning to do with it." Arle added.

" _Grr…_ That pretty boy nuisance is using my Puyo Hat for his evil uses! **I'LL THRASH HIM IN ENDLESS STOMPS UNTIL HE BEGS FOR MERCY! WHOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

"Th-That's a bit much don't you think, Zoh?"

"Y-Yeah, I mean he's still my brother." Lidelle said.

"Right. Sorry about that." Zoh said as he had calmed down from his most recent rage fit.

"Anyway. Let's just get this hat already. I'm getting hungry." I said.

"You're always hungry, Ally."

"So are you, Lidelle. With your multiple growth spurts and all."

"Multiple?" Arle and Zoh asked.

" **O-Okay, so?! What's your point?!** " Lidelle started blushing from embarrassment, which made me laugh.

 _Score one for Ally!_

With one push on the door from Zoh (the rest of us tried to do it, but couldn't make it budge. Sand is a lot stronger than it looks), the double doors opened and what we saw inside was…well…I don't really know how to explain it, but Lidelle and Ally sighed with huge annoyance.

" _Of course._ " They both said.

I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. So I kept my mouth shut on that one.

What we saw inside was…another beach? I'm not kidding when I say this, but there was an **ENTIRE** second beach inside this castle. And on this indoor beach were a bunch of women, probably around Amira's age, just dancing around to some cheesy beach music that you would normally hear in 60's beach movies. There was also a juice stand, snack bar, palm trees, sand, & ocean...there was even an entire sun in here!

 _How the hell does one put an entire sun_ _ **inside**_ _a building?!_

"I-Is this…a beach party?" I asked.

" _ ***sigh***_ Just when I thought Satan's douchey ego couldn't get any bigger..." Arle said.

"You mean this is common?"

"Yeah. He's always having these parties that go late into the night. It annoys everyone on the outside who are trying to sleep and he never listens to any of our complaints. Not to mention the fact that he surrounds himself with women during the whole time."

" _ ***sigh***_ My brother is such a perv." Lidelle said with a facepalm of shame.

 _Wow. So, "Ruler of Hell" must be an ambiguous tile or something._

"Zoh, please. Whatever you do, try to keep your temper down." Arle said to him. "One shake or spark of fire could bring this whole castle down."

"Not to worry, Arle. This castle and everything in it is all fake."

"Huh? Fake?" Us three asked.

"The Green Puyo Hat has the power to fulfill one's desires by using only illusions. Everything here may look real, but it's all just an illusion. Satan's illusion."

"Even the women?" I asked.

"Even the women. It looks like Satan wants some kind of harem of sorts."

" _ ***sigh***_ And **THIS** is the current Ruler of Hell, everyone. My big brother." Lidelle said. She currently had a huge look of embarrassment and shame. And seeing her like this…it sparked something inside me. If I had to describe it in one word, that word would probably be…rage.

I may not know this Satan guy well (or like at all) or how royale families work (again, like at all), but seeing how Lidelle is like this because of her brother's douchey and kinda pervy fantasies just pissed me the hell off.

 _Hmph. Ruler of Hell, my ass. Someone oughta teach him how to do his damn job._

"Hey, look. There he is." Arle said as she pointed to a long green-haired guy with horns like Lidelle's. Wearing a yellow Hawaiian shirt with a bunch of suns on it, a white t-shirt, purple pants, sandals, and a lei around his neck. He was currently dancing with a bunch of women around him. Clearly enjoying his own pervy illusion.

That alone filled me with disgust for this guy. Which is a rare feeling, I might add. And I wasn't going to let this continue. Not anymore.

"Hey, Zoh. So, if I take the hat off Satan's head, all of this would disappear, right?" I asked.

"It should. I never tried it myself."

"All I need to hear." I gained a small grin.

"Ally, what are you planning on doing?" Lidelle asked.

"Just watch, Lidelle. I'll fix this, I promise." This answer only made the others confused.

I've been keeping this a secret for a while, but a few days after Rafisol moved in with us, I learned another new spell. Though, this one was a lot harder than the two I currently have. Meaning, I had to practice keeping this one under control.

I haven't really used it since my last practice session. But now, I was about to use it for real this time. I'm not sure what the outcome will be. But I'm doing this to make Lidelle happy again. Even if it means going up against her brother.

 _This is it. Now or never._

I raised my right hand in front of me and took a deep breath.

" **Melody Scale!** "

Once activated, a bunch of tiny musical notes came out of my hand and went over to where Satan was. They circled around his head where the Green Puyo Hat rested. And in seconds, warped the hat from his head to my hand.

"W-Woah! Th-That was…" Arle said in shock.

"A-Ally…w-was that…" Lidelle asked me.

" _ ***giggle***_ Yep. It's another new spell of mine. I can spawn and control tiny musical notes to grab anything within a few feet of me. Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Wow. So, magic does exist in this world. Never would've thought." Zoh said.

"W-Well, this particular magic was caused by…w-well, never mind." Arle said in a somewhat sad tone.

 _Must be thinking of her friend again. I do feel for her._

Suddenly, the whole castle began shacking as everything and everyone that was an illusion started fading away one by one. And it didn't take long for the (fake) people to notice.

"H-Hey! Wh-What's going on?!"

"E-Everything's disappearing!"

"Do something, Satan-sama!"

"Satan-sama?" Lidelle and I wanted to question that so hard. But we knew we didn't have the time.

" **L-Let's get out of here!** " Arle yelled as she started running outside and we followed her out. The giant sandcastle had completely disappeared. And all that was left was Lidelle's older brother, the Ruler of Hell itself, laying face first in the sand.

" _Ugh…my head._ " He said. " **H-Huh?! M-My head! Wh-Where's the hat?! Who took my sweet paradise away from me?!** "

"Hey, Satan. Remember me?" Lidelle said. The sound of her voice really took him by surprise. Because he jerked back a bit before standing back up.

" **L-Lidelle?! Wh-What are you doing here?!** "

"I should be asking you that, Big Brother. What was with that indoor beach party with all those fake women?"

"It was a vacation, alright? Even someone as important as me deserves a break every once in a while."

"Break from what? What exactly have you been doing?"

…

…

…

"Hmph. I don't have to explain to my baby sister what I do with my life. I also deserve privacy."

 _So…nothing at all._

"Unbelievable…" Arle said with a facepalm.

"Hm? **Haha! Well, if it isn't my precious little Arly!** " Satan cheered excitedly." **My fiancé has finally been found!** "

"Fiancé?" I asked. "Arle, you're engaged?!"

" **No, I'm not engaged!** " Arle yelled at me. "Look, Satan. For the last freaking time, **I'm not your fiancé!** "

"You say that, but you'll come around when you're older."

" **LIKE HELL, I WILL!** "

"Oh, Arle. When will you grow up already and quit this tomboyish personality?"

" **I'M! NOT! A! TOMBOY!** " Arle must _**really**_ take offense to that. Even if it's true in some cases. "And, for the record, I **HAVE** grown up! I have a boyfriend to prove it!"

"Well, it's _**fiancé**_. But I guess I can let that sly…"

"It's not you, Satan." Lidelle interrupted him.

"Huh?"

"Arle actually has a boyfriend. Someone _**she**_ loves."

"Wha… **WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!** "

" _ ***giggle***_ This is getting fun to watch."

"You are a peculiar young girl." Zoh said to me.

"B-But, Arle…what about us?"

"Satan, there was no _us_. There never was. You kept making these advances on me and even called me your fiancé when in reality I never felt that way for you. In fact, you often annoy me and pretty much everyone else."

"You were too blind and naïve to even notice that this whole thing was one-sided." Lidelle said.

" _Just like every other douchebag._ "

" **Who are you calling a douchebag, you damn brat?!** " Satan yelled at me.

 _D-Did he hear me?! How?! I whispered that!_

" _ ***sigh***_ Well, whatever. Who is this little brat that stole my fiancé away from me, anyway?"

"L-Like I'm telling you!" Arle yelled with a little blush on her face. "A-And quit calling me your fiancé already!"

"Hmph. Then I'll just have to find this guy myself and…"

 ***PINCH***

" **GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!** "

"Like hell, you will. _Satan-sama_."

" **M-M-Mother?!** "

I don't know where she came from or how long she's been here, but Yumi had started grabbing Satan by the ear and pulled it as hard as she possibly could. It looked painful, even from watching it. Thank **GOD** Mom didn't do that to Rafisol and me.

"Mother? What are you doing all the way out here?" Lidelle asked.

"You three were gone for a long time and we got worried. So, I came to look for you."

"By yourself?" I asked.

"Well, no. Not exactly. I had some help."

"Huh?"

"Hey, Yumi. You find them yet?" Said another person walking along the beach.

"Yep. Sure did. Thank you for the help, Rulue-senpai."

" **Rulue?!** "

"Satan? The hell are you doing here?" Rulue did not look like she was happy to see her ex-crush.

"I was just about to ask him the very same question, Rulue-senpai." Yumi said.

" _I-I…w-w-well…y-y-you see, I-I was…uh…_ "

"He was using my Green Puyo Hat to satisfy his perverted fantasies. **THE NERVE OF YOU, DARK PRINCE! SUCH INDECENCY SHOULD BE PUNISHED! WHOOOOOOOOH!** " Zoh shouted, followed by a powerful stomp of his foot.

"H-Hey! They are **NOT** perverted! Do not lump me with Schezo, you oversized pachyderm!"

" **Anyone who dreams of being with multiple women at once is a pervert in my eyes, Dark Prince!** **WHOOOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

" _Uh…what's Zoh Daimaoh doing here?_ " Rulue whispered to Arle.

" _I'll tell you later._ " Arle whispered back.

"Oh really, now? Well, I agree. Such indecency should be punished. Come, Satan. Let's go think of one. **Together!** " Yumi said as walked off, pulling Satan's ear in the process.

" _ **OW!**_ _ **OW! OW!**_ _ **Mother, please let go! It hurts!**_ " Satan whined.

 _What a pansy._

"How long were we gone, anyway?" I asked.

"About 3 hours. Everyone got worried. So, we came out looking for you." Rulue said.

"I see." I then turned to Zoh. "Here's your hat back, Zoh."

"Thank you, Ally. You're too kind." Zoh said.

"So, uh…why are you here, Zoh?" Rulue asked. "I remember being told that some mirror brought only 7 people here."

"I followed Satan to this world to reclaim my Green Puyo Hat. Illusions shall not be created now that it is back in my hands."

"Green Puyo Hat? Creating illusions? What is he talking about?"

"Like I said, Rulue. I'll explain later." Arle said. "Right now, I need to eat something before I pass out."

"Yeah, me too." Lidelle said.

"Alright!" I cheered. "Let's go!"

" _Fall in…_ "

 ***POW***

" **Ow!** " Before Lidelle could finish her sentence, I punched her in the stomach to shut her up.

 _Score two for Ally!_

"You wanna come along, Zoh?" Arle asked.

"I would…but now that I'm positive that the other four Puyo Hats are here, I need to find and reclaim them all once more. Especially that red one. Before it starts trouble again. Such an entity must be destroyed! **AND I'LL BE THE ONE TO DO IT! WHOOOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

"Alright, then. See you later."

The four of us were going wave Zoh goodbye as he went off continuing his search for the Puyo Hats…but…

" **Ge-Ge-Ge-Gekido Crater!** "

 ***BOOM***

…

…

…

"H-H-He just…sl-slammed himself underground." I said in shock and fear.

"Y-Yeah…Zoh's ability to catch on fire allows him to do that." Arle said. "Though, it's hardly ever intentional."

"Guys, why is your world so freaking weird?" Lidelle asked.

"No idea, Lidelle." Rulue said. "No idea at all."

* * *

 **Arle's POV**

After we walked back to the beach house, we all ate some of that barbeque stuff again that was made earlier. And now, we were doing our own thing once again. Ally, Lidelle, and I were with Amitie, Raffina, Ringo, and Feli. Talking about what we experienced today.

"So, you ran into your brother at the beach, Lidelle?" Raffina asked.

"And a…big elephant guy?" Ringo asked.

"Well, the big elephant guy is from my world." I explained. "He came here on his own to look for the Puyo Hats. He owns them, apparently."

" **W-Wait, he OWNS the Puyo Hats?! If that's the case, maybe we could get his help on finding the Red Puyo Hat!** " Amitie said.

"He's already on it." Ally said. "He took the Green Puyo Hat and went off to find the others. Even the red one."

"I see." Raffina said. "So…your brother, Lidelle. The guy with the long green hair and the _**ugly as hell**_ Hawaiian shirt. He had the Green Puyo Hat? What for?"

"Well, based on what Zoh told us, the Green Puyo Hat has the power to fulfill one's desires by using illusions."

"Illusions? That sounds pretty cool." Feli said.

"Yeah, but my brother's wasn't. His desire was to have his own miniature beach inside a giant sandcastle surrounded by a bunch of women in bikinis."

…

…

…

"What a perv." Amitie, Raffina, and Feli said.

"That's something I would expect from my older cousin." Ringo gained a sweatdrop.

"And it's worse when he's your brother." Lidelle added.

 _So, Yumi is Satan's mother, Lidelle's his sister, and Ringo's his…cousin? Wow, I'm learning a lot about the one person I hardly can stand._

"Anyway…" Amitie said. "…we found all of the Puyo Hats! And even know what they do!"

"Well…most of them, Ami." Raffina said.

"The Green Puyo Hat – Fulfills desires by using illusions.

The Blue Puyo Hat – Reveals dark futures of anyone that's near the wearer.

The Purple Puyo Hat – Makes the wearer relive dark memories.

The Red Puyo Hat – Copies emotions, restores energy, and is believed to have a demon trapped inside." Lidelle went down the list. "And that's really all we know."

"The only one we don't know anything about is the Yellow Puyo Hat." Amitie said. "And the only one that does know is…"

That's when we all remembered what happened last night. After Sig, Chu, Klug, and Ringo back from their search party…and didn't have any luck.

"Damn. Peruvis is still missing, huh? Where the hell did she go?" Raffina asked.

"We looked everywhere." Ringo said. "Near the ocean, the neighboring small town…we even looked as far as the train station. But nothing turned up. I'm really worried about her."

"What about Sig and Klug?" I asked.

"They went back out to look for her again. It's already been 24 hours at this point. Another day and we'll have no choice but to call the police."

"Well, that only leaves us with one option." Ally said. "Let's split up and find Peruvis ourselves. She's still on this beach somewhere. We just gotta look harder."

"Fine by me. Let's go." Lidelle said. And soon, the rest of us agreed.

"Oh, sec. I gotta use the bathroom." I said.

"Hurry back." Amitie said.

I turned the corner from where we were standing at and had almost reached the bathroom. When suddenly…

"Hey. Arle."

 _Huh? Hey, wait. That voice…_

"Down here."

"Phoenix? What are you doing? Wh-Where's Peruvis? Is she okay?"

"Relax. She's fine. She found this small cove nearby and has been there ever since."

"I see. Well, at least she's safe. Why did she run off, in the first place? Do you know?"

That was when Phoenix did a small, yet stressed out sigh as raised up further from the floor. I'm still curious as to how he can do that. But now's probably not the time to ask.

"Arle…we really need to talk. About your relationship with Sig."

 _M-My relationship with Sig?_

…

 _I…I kinda already know what he means by that._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **With the Green Puyo Hat finally found, the search is on for the Yellow Puyo Hat and the still missing Peruvis. Or…so everyone believes that she's missing. Phoenix ambushes Arle, telling her that they need to talk about her relationship with Sig.**

 **And she apparently already knows the outcome.**

 **Nothing much left to say here. A new original chapter is next up and it's going to be a long one. Won't come for a while, though. This story's going on a short break. Want to do other things for a bit.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	60. The Talk

**Chapter 60 – The Talk**

 **Sig's POV**

"Peruvis! Peruvis!"

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Still nothing."

"Where could that girl be?" Klug asked as the two of us were walking along the beach looking for Peruvis again. "Her being out this long is truly ridiculous."

"Tell me about it. in fact, she's been acting weird ever since yesterday morning. She wouldn't talk to me or even say hello. Something's clearly bugging her. Though, I wish she would just spit it out already."

"Huh? You mean you don't know?"

"If I knew, we wouldn't be out here looking for her, right?"

"Right, but… _ ***sigh***_ _Geez. You really don't know?_ "

"Know what? Am I supposed to know something about her?"

Klug went dead silent for a good while. Leaving me more confused than when I try to understand Peruvis' dirty mindset. Though it would make sense that Klug would know something about Peruvis that I don't. They are step-siblings and all.

" _ ***sigh***_ _Peruvis is going to kill me for doing this, but…_ Sig. We need to talk. About your relationship with Arle."

"My relationship with Arle? What for? And why at such a freaking random time like this?"

"Trust me. We need to talk." Klug did a stressed-out sigh. "Or at least…listen to what I have to say."

I had no idea what Klug was about to go on about. But if it somehow relates to Peruvis and Arle…I kinda don't have a choice but to hear him out.

But the thing is…what am I about to hear?

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright, Klug. I'll hear you out. But make it quick. We don't have much time out here."

"Please." Klug said as he pushed up his glasses. "After I finish talking, you'll need all the time in the world."

 _Why does that worry me so much?_

We decided to head closer back to the beach house. Currently standing on a nearby dock as we leaned on the guardrails that rested above the ocean. Gotta admit. The calm waters were pretty soothing. A perfect mood to just…

" _ ***yawn***_ _Zzz…_ "

"H-Hey, don't fall asleep on me!" Klug yelled as he shook me up.

"H-Huh? O-Oh, yeah."

"Geez. Your narcolepsy hasn't changed at all. Even after all these years."

"It's a trait that I'm stuck with. Not that I want to get rid of it."

"Just like Peruvis and her dirty mind. _You two really are perfect for each other._ "

"What?"

"O-Oh, um…well…let's start by going back a bit. You and Peruvis met in kindergarten and have been friends since, right?"

 _Why are we going_ _ **THAT**_ _far back?_

"Uh…yeah." I answered without giving it much thought.

"And the two of you have been together for most of your lives, right?"

"Aside from that 4-year gap where she went on tour with a band, yeah."

"And you both share a lot in common. Mainly a crappy childhood that you both want to forget, right?"

"Klug, where are you going with this?" I asked as I was starting to get annoyed with these questions.

"Okay, okay. Going straight to the point. The day you confessed to Arle…Peruvis was there."

"Huh? She was there? Was she spying on us?"

"Well…yeah. But she had a good reason to."

"How can there be a good reason to spy on someone?"

"Uh…" Klug began rubbing the back of his head as he started sweating with nervousness. All of this made me start believing that what he's trying to say is rather difficult to spit out so easily.

"Klug, enough beating around the bush already. If you have to tell me something about Peruvis, then just tell me. I want to help her get over whatever's making her upset like this."

…

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine." Klug grew an exasperated look. "The reason why she's acting like this is because…she's heartbroken."

"Heartbroken? Someone broke her heart? Who?"

"That's the thing. You did."

"H-Huh?! I-I broke her heart?! Wh-What did I do for that to happen?!"

"You didn't do anything. At least…not intentionally."

"What?"

Klug did another sigh before turning to face me with a dead serious look on his face.

"Sig, what I'm trying to say is…Peruvis…is in love with you."

It took a while for me to register inside my head what he had said to me. Like a good 30-45 seconds. But once I finally did…

"Wh-Wha… **WHAT?!** "

…I completely broke.

 _P-Peruvis…i-in_ _ **LOVE**_ _with me?! Wh-What the hell?! Wh-What is going on?!_

* * *

 **Ringo's POV**

"Peruvis! Hey, where are ya, girl?!"

…

"Come to think of it, where exactly am I?" I asked myself as I realized that I was in an unfamiliar part of the beach. there were a lot more rocks and seaweed around. And the current was way stronger here than it was in front of the beach house.

"Let's see. From the looks of things, I'd say that this is some kind of cove. And Google Maps doesn't seem to have the name of it, either. Wow! So, I found a hidden cove! Bet I can find a new species or something! Or better yet…"

…

"N-No, damnit! Control your nerdy orgasm! I need to freaking find Peruvis!"

I went silent for a bit.

"But…how am I supposed to find her when I don't even know where the hell I am? This freaking blows."

"Ringo? Is that you?" I heard a voice calling out to me.

"Hey! Peruvis! There you are!" I cheered as I rushed over and hugged this good friend of mine.

"I knew I recognized the voice. Why are you all the way out here?"

"Girl, that's my question! What have you been doing here for the past 25 hours?! Do you know how worried everyone is?!"

"E-Everyone's…worried?"

"Well, duh."

"E-Even…S-Sig?"

"Sig? Well, I guess. He's out here looking for you, too."

"I see. _So, he does still care._ "

"Still care?"

" **Cr-Crap! I-I didn't mean…** _ **aw, damnit! Me and my damn big mouth!**_ " Peruvis then sat back down on the sand as she hid her blushed face in between her legs.

I didn't know what else to do. So, I sat next to her and kept poking her head until she got pissed enough to raise it back up.

" **Okay! Stop, already!** Damn, you got strong ass fingers!"

"That's thanks to the demon DNA inside me."

"Still can't believe you're part hellspawn. You don't look like the demonic type."

"Yeah, I get that a lot." I gained a sweatdrop.

" _ ***sigh***_ I didn't think anyone would find me. Kinda weird that you just happened to find this place by pure luck." Peruvis went back to a sad mood.

"So, you've been here this whole time? You even slept here?"

"Well…I originally was going to come back last night. But the waves here…they completely relaxed me from the intense crying I was doing. And I ended up falling asleep to them."

"I see." I began staring at the calmer waves and the moonlight reflecting from the water. "Well, I can see how that happened. This place is quite peaceful once you get used to it."

"Right? I didn't think anyone would understand even while sitting out here. Guess I was wrong."

"Yeah. And you were wrong for disappearing like this, too."

"We're still talking about that?" The sad tone returned to the half-devil girl.

"Peruvis, you had us all worried. No way in hell I'm going to let this sly. Why did you run off like that and didn't tell anyone?"

…

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ " I just…I just wanted to be alone, okay?" Peruvis said after a brief silence.

"Alone? But don't you have Phoenix always with you?"

"He hasn't bothered me since coming here. In fact, this is the longest he's ever been silent. Not sure what he's doing. And frankly, I don't care."

"Uh…right." I gained a sweatdrop as I looked behind Peruvis' back.

 _Should I tell her that Phoenix has stretched to who knows where? I didn't even know he could reach that far._

"So, uh…why did you want to be alone? You said that you were crying too, right?"

Peruvis didn't say anything. She actually started crying again. But once she remembered that I was still next to her, she immediately wiped her tears.

"H-Hey, Ringo. I-If I tell you what's been bugging me, will you promise to keep it a secret?"

"Keep it a secret?"

"I don't want anyone else to know. Not a single soul. At least…not yet."

 _Not yet, huh?_

"Alright. I won't tell." I said.

"Thanks, Ringo. I'm glad I can trust you."

"But if I have to guess what this secret's about…it involves Sig, doesn't it?"

Peruvis didn't say anything and just made a simple nod. Confirming my suspicions.

"What's the deal with you two? You both are childhood friends, right?"

"Yeah. We are. We've known each other since kindergarten. And around the summer festival was the first time I've seen him in four years."

"Four years? What caused the split?"

"W-Well…s-some stupid things. Like quitting school to go on a world tour with a band that didn't do so great."

"You quit school for that?"

"L-Like I said. It was stupid. I'm 100% dedicated to finishing school this time around. Which is one of the many reasons I came back."

"Many?" I was confused.

"Some of them aren't important right now. Maybe at a later time."

"I see."

"But the main reason I came back was like you said. It does involve Sig. I missed him so much that I quit the band and came right back home to my step-parents and Klug. Thing is, I didn't know that my step-dad moved from Konoko Valley and started traveling for work. So, I had to come here. To Primp Town. A place that I've rarely been to."

"I see. It's must've sucked that you couldn't see him again, huh?"

"Yeah. It did. Which was why I was super happy when I ran into him at Oshare's shop. I thought right then and there that I can be happy. That I could be with my best friend once more…and hopefully, tell him how I truly feel."

"Truly feel? Wait, are you saying…"

"Yes. It's true. I love Sig. I love him with all my heart. And I came back to hopefully tell him that and we could be together forever."

Peruvis then started to cry again. This time, there doesn't seem like to be an end in sight.

"But when the other girls told me that freaking Arle had a crush on him and wanted to get the two together…I was feeling a mix of emotions, honestly. Anger, sadness, a sense of regret. But then I did something that I still question to this day. I pushed all of those feelings aside. Including my romantic feelings for Sig. And helped those damn girls hook up Arle with my one true love. And throughout the entire thing, my heart was shattered. I cried for days on end asking myself just what the absolute **** was I doing. But I kept telling myself…that it was all for Sig. I was doing this for Sig. I was sacrificing my happiness so that Sig could have his. And when I saw him confess to Arle, I knew I did my part. _***sniff***_ _A-As much as I hated it. this was probably the nicest and least perverted thing I've ever done. So, why…why does it still hurt, damnit? Aren't you supposed to feel good when you do nice things?_ _ **So, why the hell do I feel like total crap?! Why, damnit?! Why?! WHY, WHY, WHYYYYY?! WAAAAAAAAA!**_ "

It was here that Peruvis have broken down into full tears of sadness. Heavy tears ran down her eyes as she screamed out her cries of heartbroken pain. I wasn't sure if she felt great about releasing her true feelings to someone. Or what to say to make this any better. So, I just hugged her with both of my arms and comforted her until she was ready to go on.

How long that would take…is anyone's guess, really.

* * *

 **Arle's POV**

"So, that's what it is, huh? Peruvis is in love with Sig?"

"Yeah, that's the gist of it. Been that way since the two of them were kids. And she's been hiding her feelings ever since."

" _ ***sigh***_ I see."

It was around 9 'o clock and I was up on the roof of the beach house with Phoenix. This is where he took me after saying that we needed to talk about my relationship with Sig. And just now…we just finished eavesdropping on Peruvis and Ringo. Thanks to Phoenix being able to stretch this far out.

 _It's still really odd to me that he can reach this far…_

"You know…I kinda had a feeling that her acting like this was because of me."

"It isn't all you. Sig's to blame, too. Boys his age are always oblivious to a girl's true feelings. It's a stupidly common cliché."

"Really now?" I asked. "I wouldn't have known that. I've never fallen in love before now."

"Sig's your first love too, huh? Man, you are not making this easy." Phoenix facepalmed with stress.

"Well, what do you want me to do, Phoenix? Break up with Sig? There's no way in hell I'm doing that. I love him just as much as Peruvis does and I'm not backing down."

"Well, once Peruvis finds out that Sig knows about her feelings, she ain't gonna give up either."

"Wait, what? Sig knows, too?"

"He should by now. Klug's somewhere telling him right now."

"I see. So, the two of you planned this from the start." I grew an agitated look.

"Can you really blame us? We're just trying to look out for the kid. I'm not telling much, but she hasn't had the best life like some of you."

 _Not the best life? What could that mean?_

"Well, no matter if we know or not. I'm still not breaking up with Sig."

" _Ugh._ Geez, you're stubborn." Phoenix gained an exasperated look. "Well, fine. I guess you both can share him."

"Sh-Share him?!"

"Heh. It would be kinda interesting to see. Sig dating both of you at once. Almost like a harem. I bet the sex will be _**steamy~!**_ "

 _St-Steamy?!_

" **L-Like hell, we are doing that!** " I yelled with a huge blush on my face.

" _ **Nyahahahaha!**_ **You're so damn pure!** "

"Tch. Jerk." I pouted.

"Well, there is one other thing you both could do."

"Oh, really?" I really wasn't excited to hear another one of his suggestions. But I played along anyway. "And what would that be?"

"Easy. Have Sig choose between both of you."

"Ch-Choose?! B-Between the two of us?!"

"It's the only thing I can think of."

" _Man…_ " I gotta admit. It was the only one that sounded reasonable. But to have Sig choose between me or Peruvis…she'll definitely have the upper hand since she knew him since freaking kindergarten. I'm just some random girl that he found pleading to a butterfly to come back to me. I'm totally screwed if this leads up.

Which means…there's truly one more thing I could try. It may break up some friendships, but it's better than having a broken heart, right?

…

God, that sounds selfish as hell. But I've got nothing else to go with. So, I'm sticking with that.

"Well, then…I'll just have to tell her myself."

"Tell her what?" Phoenix asked.

"Tell her that I know that she loves Sig, of course."

" **Y-You idiot! Are you trying to start something between the three of you?!** "

"No, not at all. I love Sig and all. But I don't want his long-standing friendship with Peruvis to end because of me. That's why I'm going to tell her. Along with something else in mind."

"Huh? Something else?"

"That is something I'm saving for later. For right now, though…we should get Peruvis back before the others start to worry even more. Has she stopped crying?"

"She's still spouting waterworks. But not as grand as before. Ringo's down there talking to her."

"I see. The two of them have become great friends."

"Hey. You better know what you doing with whatever the hell you're planning. I can't take anymore sappiness from that kid."

"I promise. I won't make her any sadder. In fact…I think she'll agree with what I have to say." I gained a smile on my face.

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever. Teenage love is confusing as hell."

Phoenix started sinking down from the rooftop to the cove where the two girls were at. Returning to Peruvis' body after about two hours of eavesdropping and talking. I'll admit. Learning that Peruvis has had a crush on Sig since the day they met…didn't really surprise me much. I had always thought that the two would get together and not how it is now.

But seeing as how it did end up this way…and learning that Peruvis is emotionally suffering because of it…this isn't something that I can just easily ignore.

And I truly hope that what I have planned works out for all three of us in the end.

 _Because in my opinion…no heart should ever be broken._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **The 60** **th** **chapter of Love of Puyo Puyo! And I know I said it was going to be a long one.** _ **But…**_ **I'm going to have this last part become its own chapter. It'll just be overshadowed by what's here if I add to this chapter. At least, that's how I see it.**

 **So, I bet there are probably some of you wondering what happened to Dream Land Invasion 2. Well, I deleted it. I just didn't have any interest for it anymore. I never wanted to do a sequel in the first place. But I kinda forced myself to do it and now all that forced energy is gone. And thus, so is the story. Sorry if you guys enjoyed what was there.**

 **The story is still on a break. I just wanted to get this out of the way. Thanks for reading. Later.**


	61. Love Dealing

**Chapter 61 – Love Dealing**

 **Peruvis' POV**

"Hey. Are you sure you're ready to come back?" Ringo asked me as we were both standing outside the beach house. "Cause you know, I can just say that I couldn't find you and give you another day."

"No, it's fine. I've been going for over a day at this point and you said that after tonight the cops were going to be called. I think I've worried everyone enough."

"I see."

"Wow. This has to be the most responsible you've ever sounded."

" **Sh-Shut up, Phoenix!** " I yelled at him after he came out of my back.

"So, you're back, huh? You waited that long for her to stop crying?" Ringo asked.

"I went and did some stuff since I had time to kill. When this kid cries, she can cry for a long ass time."

"Yeah. I've noticed." Ringo gained a sweatdrop.

"Tch. Wh-Whatever." I started blushing. "L-Let's just get inside already. I've been sitting in that cove since yesterday and I could really use a bath."

"Yeah, no kidding." Phoenix said while holding his imaginary nose.

" _Oh, screw you, you damn wisp._ " I grumbled in anger.

Ringo, on the other hand, was laughing to herself at the conversation I was having with the soul spouting from my back.

"Funny?"

" _ ***giggle***_ I'm sorry. But the two of you are like a comedy routine. You both are totally in-sync with each other."

"Well, he is inside my body. I kinda need him in order to stay alive."

"Oh, right."

With nothing else to talk about, we both went inside the house and saw that everyone was out in the living room talking amongst each other. Probably about how they failed to locate me.

"Hey, everyone." Ringo said. "Look who I found."

"H-Hey, guys." I said nervously. Knowing that I was going to get it soon.

" **Peridi!** " But oddly enough, it was Chu who first came up to me with glee. I guess she was really worried about me.

" **There you freaking are, Peruvis! Where the hell were you?!** " Raffina asked.

"Well…I kinda wanted to be alone and uh…I kinda lost track of time."

" **Kinda?! You were gone for nearly 30 hours!** "

"You had us worried, you know!" Amitie said. "We were about to report you missing to the police!"  
"Alright. I'm sorry. I truly am. I'll never do such a thing again. Promise."

"Come on, guys. She really means it. Just let it go for now." Ringo backed me up.

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine." Raffina said. "I'll go tell the adults that you came back. Just don't run off again by the time I get back."

"Wh-Who do you think I am? A little kid?"

" _Hey…_ " Chu felt insulted.

"Hehheh. Sorry, Chu."

Just then, the door opened behind me and in came Sig and Klug. The former I wasn't well-prepared to see this soon.

"Oh. H-Hey, Sig."

"Peruvis? Where were you? Klug and I were out for nearly 2 hours looking for you."

 _H-He really was looking for me? S-So, Ringo did mean it. Damn, now I feel really bad about going off without telling anyone._

"I-I'm sorry. S-Something was bugging me so I just wanted to be alone. But I'm fine now. No need to worry."

"Oh. I see. Well…good to know that you're okay." Sig said that sentence with a faint blush on his face.

"Y-Yeah. Th-Thanks." And seeing that, I couldn't help but blush myself.

 _Aw, geez. Blushing because my crush is blushing. I feel like one of those stereotypical teen girls in one of those cheesy romance dramas._

"Well, I'm glad you're safe, Peruvis. To be frank, I was getting tired of looking for you and was about to call it quits. I'm sure you would've shown up whenever."

"Gee. Thanks, Bro." I said with an exasperated sweatdrop. Kinda pissed that he actually thought that.

"Hey, Peruvis."

"Oh. Hey, Arle." I said in a somewhat sad tone to the girl who took my true love away from me.

 _Even though I helped in getting them together in the first place…_

"H-Hey, can we talk? It's something important."

"Talk? Don't you want to be with Sig?"

"I can do that later. Right now, we really need to talk."

"Uh…do we _**really**_ need to?"

"Come on. Just hear me out. This isn't easy for me, either."

 _Isn't easy? What the hell is she talking about?_

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright, fine." I gave in.

"Great." Arle seemed happy about it. "Let's head outside. You know, for privacy."

"Sure. I guess."

As I followed Arle out front, I still had no idea what she wanted to talk about. It can't be because of me disappearing for so long. She and I aren't really that close for her to worry about me.

But if that isn't it, then what? What would Arle want to talk to me about?

…

And why do I have a bad feeling about it?

* * *

 **Arle's POV**

I managed to get Peruvis to talk with me. And so, we were outside near the water so that we can get some privacy.

Only problem is…

"Alright, Arle. What is is that you want to talk to me about?"

…

…

…

"Arle?"

 _Crap! What do I say?! How should I start this out?!_

…I didn't think I would get this far.

 _Alright. Just calm down. Just keep calm and go with what you had thought up. I'm sure it will all work out. H-Hopefully._

"Um, well…you really had us worried by disappearing like that. was something bothering you?"

" _ ***sigh***_ It's nothing for you to be concerned, Arle. I handled it on my own and I'm doing fine now."

 _Damn! I'm already failing! At this point, I might as well…_

"Now, if you're done, I'm going back inside to…"

"Peruvis…I know."

"Huh? Know what?"

"I know…th-that you're in love with Sig."

…

…

…

"Uh…h-hey, Peru…"

" **WH-WH-WHAT?! A-A-ARE YOU SERIOUS?! H-H-HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW THAT?!** " Peruvis yelled in a huge panic with an even bigger (and brighter) blush on her face.

"Well, to be honest…Phoenix and I were eavesdropping on you."

" **WHAT?! YOU WERE SPYING ON ME?!** "

"I-I didn't want to! W-We were up on the roof and Phoenix can apparently stretch that far! I-I heard everything from him! Honest!"

" _Ugh. I see. So, that's why he was so quiet. That sneaky bastard._ " Peruvis had managed to calm down a bit. "What else did he tell you?"

"W-Well…" I was rather hesitant to say considering how she reacted to the first thing.

"Come on, out with it. It can't be worse than you knowing that I love Sig, right?"

 _You have no idea how wrong you are…_

"Well…y-you see…S-Sig…also knows."

"Wh-What?"

"Sig…knows that you love him."

…

…

…

" _A…A-Are you…_ **ARE YOU ****ING KIDDING ME?!** " Peruvis shouted. With more rage than what she had just seconds ago.

"N-No. I-I'm not." I answered with a little fear inside me.

" **WHO?! WHO'S THE ***ING SNITCH THAT OPENED THEIR DAMN MOUTH?! TELL ME!** "

"I-It was Klug! H-He and Phoenix had planned all of this from the start! I-I just got roped into it! I swear!"

" _ **Ugh…**_ " Peruvis continued to rage and swear for a good 15 minutes. While I decided to stay silent through it all. Not wanting to risk getting her angrier.

" _ ***sigh***_ S-Sorry you had to see that."

"No, it was completely justifiable. I would react the same way if I found out my secrets were revealed. Especially by a boy."

"Hehheh. Yeah, no kidding."

"So…there's actually more than just me and Sig knowing that you love him."

" _There's more?_ " Peruvis whined.

"This is a good thing, I promise. I actually wanted to talk to you about…you know…being in a relationship with Sig."

"Arle…" Peruvis then went silent for a bit. "…Look, you don't have to do this. I mean…I pushed my feelings aside to help those girls get you both together. Don't just give that up two days in because of me."

"N-No, no, no. that's not it. I'm truly grateful that you did that for me. A girl who just popped out of a magical mirror and fell in love with your childhood friend."

"W-Wait, what? Magical mirror?"

"Oh, right. You don't know." I gained a sweatdrop. "I'll explain that later. It's a long story."

"Okay…?" I can tell that she was confused. Hell, that story still confuses me to this day. And I've been here for nearly 2 months.

"Anyway. What I want to talk about is…I want to make a deal."

"A deal?"

"I'll make it straight to the point. I love Sig. And you love Sig. It wouldn't feel right in my mind to keep dating him knowing that you'll be emotionally suffering. And passing him over to you is something the both of us have agreed is not happening. So…let's just both be with him."

"Huh? W-Wait, what?"

"You and I can both be with Sig."

…

…

…

"A-Arle…a-are you into threesomes?"

" **N-No! I'm not! That's not it at all!** " I yelled with a full blush on my face. Remembering what Phoenix had brought up earlier.

" _Phew._ Oh, good. My love for Sig isn't **THAT** strong."

" _I don't think anyone's love is_ _ **THAT**_ _strong._ " I gained a sweatdrop.

"So, what do you mean by "both of us being with Sig"?"

"Well…we both love him. And letting him choose between us is…well, you know."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah. That knucklehead would take forever to make a decision."

"True." I said with a light giggle of my own. "So, I was thinking…maybe the three of us can be…romantic friends."

"Romantic friends?"

"You know. We each can be intimate with him and he can be intimate with us. But not be committed to each other in any way whatsoever. Does that work?"

"W-Wow. I-I gotta admit…that's pretty generous of you, Arle." Peruvis said with a shocked look.

"Really? Thanks."

"S-Sure thing. B-But…"

"But what?"

"A-Arle…y-you just described a "friends with benefits" relationship."

"Fr-Friends with… **b-b-benefits?! N-Nononononononono! I-I didn't mean that! I-It's just…I-I was looking this stuff up on Amitie's phone for research and what I said was the first thing that popped up and…** _ **a-aw, damnit!**_ "

" _ ***giggle***_ It's fine. I actually get what you're trying to say."

"Y-You do?"

"Yeah. You're saying that both of us can be affectionate towards Sig. But we don't go any farther than a simple normal friendship. That way, Sig won't have to choose between us. And none of us will get heartbroken. Is that it?"

"Y-Yeah. That's it. That's exactly it. Man, I'm glad you understood."

"Although, I'm not _**completely**_ against the threesome idea."

"Will you drop the damn threesome already?" I grew annoyed.

"Alright, alright."

"So…what do you think?"

"Hmm…you know. I can agree to this. The two of us are Sig's friends and nothing more. A-Aside from the fact that we both love him."

"Y-Yeah. Aside from that. So, is it a deal?"

"Yep. It's a deal. Thanks so much, Arle. You really are kind to do this for me."

"It's no problem. You got me and Sig together. Albeit, for a short time. But this is the least I can do to keep your friendship with him alive. You know?"

"Yeah. I know. Thanks again, Arle."

"You're welcome, Peruvis."

We both then hugged it out as a way to say that we were both in agreement with this new deal we've made. Now neither of us will have to worry about the other feeling miserable as we continue being with Sig. And avoid all the other drama that usually comes with stuff like this. A win-win, in my book.

" _ ***sigh***_ This was good. I feel completely relaxed now."

"Glad you feel that way." I said.

"Yeah. Now, if you excuse me…" Peruvis then got up from the sandy beach floor and began cracking her knuckles. "…I've got a nice big foot to shove up a certain family member's ass."

"Um…yeah. You do that." I said with a sweatdrop.

I then watched Peruvis head back towards the beach house looking pretty damn ready to kick Klug's ass.

" _Hey, Klug! Your dear 'ol step-sister's got something to give ya!_ "

 _Rest in peace, Klug Ryley…_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **STORY'S BACK! I know I said that this was going to go on a break in favor of a new story. But since I recently started one for a different series, I decided not to. I don't want to overload myself with multiple stories again. That's what made me struggle before.**

 **Special thanks to the AO3 readers. As the story on there has passed 1,000 hits! I can't thank you guys enough for reading and enjoying the story. I'm truly grateful.**

 **As to the FanFiction readers, the same praise goes out to you too. But can someone PLEASE change the current favorite/follow/review ratio? Because right now I've got 6 favorites, 6 followers, and 6 reviews. And it's been bugging me for obvious reasons.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	62. Triple Birthday Blowout

**Chapter 62 – Triple Birthday Blowout**

 **Sig's POV**

"And so, that's the gist of it."

"So, Peruvis does know. _***sigh***_ This is just great." I said with a little stress as Arle had confirmed to me what Klug had told me earlier was true. And that my childhood friend has had a crush on me since the day we met.

"Wow. Peridi loves Shigu. Didn't see that coming." Chu said.

"You and me both, Chu. Which is why I feel like a complete asshole for not noticing all this time. I don't even know if I can face her now."

"It's okay, Sig. Peruvis would definitely like to see you. In fact, more than ever."

"Huh? What do you mean?" I asked Arle with a confused look.

"Peruvis and I had a little talk earlier. And we agreed to a deal."

"A deal?" Chu and I didn't get it.

"The deal was…the both of us can be affectionate towards you. But we don't go any farther than a simple normal friendship. That way, you won't have to choose between us. And none of us will get heartbroken."

"S-Seriously? You both agreed to that?"

"I know, right? I honestly thought I would have to convince her a little bit. But she accepted it without any problems. Probably because this was you we were talking about."

" _What's that supposed to mean?_ " I grew offended.

"Nothing, nothing." Arle started giggling at my slightly pissed face.

"Is it because Shigu's too spacy to make rational decisions?"

 ***LIGHT BONK***

"Shut it, Chu." I said after lightly hitting my sister in the head.

 ***KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK***

"Arle…you in there?" We then heard a knock on the door and heard Harpy's voice on the other side.

"Yeah, Harpy. I'm here. Open the door."

…

…

…

"Uh…Arle."

"Yeah, Harpy?"

"How do you open a door?"

"Are you serious? _***sigh***_ Hold on, Harpy. I'll be right there."

Meanwhile, Chu and I were having a hard time containing our laughter. It was pretty unbelievable that there's a person, let alone an angel, who literally knows nothing besides her name and how to sing.

 _It makes me wonder how she got a 70 on the summer exam._

" _Don't laugh, you two!_ " Arle whispered.

" _Sorry._ " We both said.

Arle got up from the floor and went over to the door to let Harpy in. Only it wasn't just Harpy. Her friend Seriri was still wrapped around her in comfort. The two haven't been apart from each other since we found Seriri yesterday. The two are clearly best friends, from what Arle has told me.

"Hey, you guys." Arle greeted them both.

"Arle!" Harpy cheered.

"H-Hello, A-Arle." Seriri stuttered.

"You guys need something?"

"Yeah, it's…uh…what was it again?" Harpy asked Seriri.

"Raffina wanted us to tell them that we're going to something called a boardwalk tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah! That's it!"

…

"Hey, Arle. What's a boardwalk?" Harpy asked.

…

…

…

"I…I actually don't know, Harpy." Arle said after thinking about it.

" _Aw!_ "

"Wait, you've never heard of a boardwalk?" I asked. "It's like a mini amusement park."

"No, not really. My world never really had one of those."

"No boardwalk?" Chu asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if this counts, but we did have this circus thing a long time ago."

"That counts, in a way." Sig said.

"But that circus thing turned out to be a ploy made by a clone of me in hopes to murder me and become the "one true me"." Arle had put the last three words in air quotes.

"Never mind. That doesn't count." I gained a sweatdrop.

"That was normal to you, Aruru?" Chu asked.

"In a way, yes."

…

…

…

"Aruru. Your world is messed up."

"I know, Chu. I know." Arle then gained a sweatdrop of her own.

"So, tomorrow will be the first time you've been to a _**real**_ boardwalk?" Sig asked.

"Well, it'll be the first time for all of us. There wasn't much to do over there."

"I see." I then went silent for a bit. "Well…do you want to tag along with me?"

"H-Huh? T-Tag along with you?" Arle blushed a little.

"Well…tomorrow's your birthday, right? I couldn't…really get a gift for you. So, maybe I can show you around and explain how a boardwalk works. Just to help you out a bit."

"O-Oh. I-I see now. S-Sure, I'll…g-go with you."

"Hey, you okay?" I was getting concerned.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. I-I just…I-I still have these feelings of a girlfriend, you know?"

"Right. Makes sense."

 _Still can't believe they actually agreed to such a deal…_

"Hey, Harpy. Why is Arle stuttering?" Seriri asked her.

"I don't know, Seriri. And I don't get it, either."

"Shigu and Aruru used to date. But now they're working on being friends again." Chu explained.

" _Oh~. I get it now._ "

"A-Aruru? Sh-Shigu?" Seriri sounded really confused.

"That's what Chu calls us." I said. "She has a bad memory when it comes to names."

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. Like she calls Amitie _Amytee_ , Raffina _Waffine_ , Lidelle _Rita_ , and Peruvis _Peridi_."

"And the first three hate those names so much. It's really funny seeing them react to it." Arle added.

"I-I see."

"But I remember your name…Seriri." Chu said.

" _ ***shriek***_ " Seriri hid behind Harpy once she heard her name being called.

" _Seriri…_ " Harpy whined.

"S-Sorry, Harpy. I-I'm still getting used to being near a lot of people."

"But you got me, Seriri. You got nothing to fear. I'll be with you forever and ever!"

" **F-F-Forever?!** " Seriri started blushing.

"Yep! And ever and ever!"

…

…

…

"Th-Thank you…Harpy."

"You're welcome, Seriri!" Harpy then hugged Seriri and began nuzzling her…

"Nuzzle! Nuzzle, nuzzle!"

…while saying the word "nuzzle".

"Harpy. That's not how nuzzling works." Seriri said.

"But I like saying nuzzle! It's fun to say!"

" _ ***giggle***_ I see. It is fun to say." Seriri said with a smile while still blushing a little.

" _Hang in there, Seriri. Harpy will notice eventually._ " Arle whispered to herself.

"Hey, Seriri. You know what else is fun to say?" Harpy asked her.

"No. What, Harpy?"

"Itty-bitty-titties."

" **HARPY!** " Arle shouted at her.

"Huh? What are itty-bitty-titties?" Seriri asked.

"I don't know. But it's fun to say, isn't it?"

"Well…I guess."

"Hey! Amitie and Lidelle reacted when I said it, maybe they know what it means! Let's go ask them!"

"Okay sure, Harpy."

" **G-Guys! W-Wait!** " Arle tried to stop them, but she was too late. Harpy and Seriri flew out the door, chanting "itty-bitty-titties", as they made their way to the room where Amitie and the others were at.

" _ ***sigh***_ _Goddamnit, Harpy…_ I better go after them."

"Good luck." I said to Arle, which made her smile a bit.

"Hey, Shigu."

"Yeah, Chu?"

"Do you know how I can grow big boobies?"

That was when both of us froze in shock as we had just heard my 10-year-old sister ask such a question. And I know who I can thank for that, too.

 _Gee. Thanks, Peruvis. You groping my sister made her self-conscious._

"Uh…No, Chu. I don't…but Arle sure does."

" **What?!** " Arle turned to face me.

"Is she really?!"

"Yep. She's a girl. So, she's definitely an expert on the subject."

" **Really?! Aruru! Please tell me! I wanna know!** " Chu begged my now ex-girlfriend, who looked at me with a _**very**_ pissed off look on her face.

"Don't worry. I'll go after Harpy and Seriri. You two can have a nice long conversation about how the female body works without any interruptions. Have fun."

"I am **SO** kicking your ass for this…" Arle grumbled.

"Worth it." I said as I made my way out of the room.

* * *

 **Arle's POV**

Last night went exactly how I imagined it. I didn't get much sleep due to me being up until 2:00 in the morning explaining to Chu how the female body goes through puberty. And then thanks to Harpy and Seriri's curiosity, Amitie, Lidelle, and Feli were reminded of their small breasts and got depressed about it.

Which means Sig didn't go after them like he said he would. He was just looking for an escape route. That little…

Point is, Raffina scolded me about it. While Ally, Ringo, and Peruvis laughed throughout the whole thing. Surprisingly, Rafisol slept through the whole ordeal. I ended up bunking with Witch and Draco to avoid any more drama for the night.

The next morning I kept apologizing to the flat-chested trio. And they eventually forgave me…after I did a ridiculous song and dance that embarrassed the hell out of me. Something called… _Caramelldansen_ , or something like that.

 _And yet, they say my world is weird…_

Anyway…once that got out the way (and after everyone had wished me a happy birthday), we were all eating breakfast. Pretty excited to go to whatever this boardwalk place…

…when we noticed one thing.

" **Damnit! It's raining!** " Amira shouted.

" **What?! Is it really?!** " Raffina asked.

"I'm not lying, Little Sis. The clouds are pissing out there."

…

…

…

" _Pfft!_ **BAAAHAHAHAHA!** " Ally, Ringo, Peruvis, and Melody started laughing like crazy. I almost did myself, but managed to hold it in.

" **The clouds are pissing?! That's genius, Amira!** " Ally shouted while still laughing.

" **I wish I'd thought of that myself!** " Melody did the same.

"Thank you! I've been practicing!"

 ***BONK***

" **OW!** "

"Well, knock it off. It's not lady-like." Lily said after hitting Amira in the head.

"Oh, come on, Lily. When have I ever been lady-like? It's not like me."

"I can back that up." Ms. Accord added. "You were a real something back then, Amira."

" _Aw!_ Ms. Accord! You remembered!"

"How could I not? You and your antics were somehow a daily part of my life."

" _ ***giggle***_ Glad I left a mark." Amira said with a smug look on her face.

"That wasn't a compliment, meow." Popoi said.

"Harmony-senpai, let me be the one to apologize for how Miss Amira acted when she was younger. If only she acted like how Miss Raffina does now." Lily said.

"You mean girly?" Amira asked.

" **I'M NOT GIRLY!** " Raffina shouted.

"It's okay, Lily. From the looks of it, she hasn't really changed."

" **HAHA!** Thanks again, Teach!" Amira cheered.

"Again, that wasn't a compliment, meow."

"So, anyway. Now, what do we do?" Amitie asked.

"I don't really know. **Why did it have to rain today?! On my technical birthday of all days?!** " Raffina started getting depressed about it.

" ***clears throat*** "

" _ ***sigh***_ On **OUR** technical birthday." Raffina then grew annoyed that she had to include Raina on it, too. She and I had decided to just put both celebrations on the same day. Since it would be easier for everyone."

" _Ew. So, you're saying that all of that out there is cloud pee?_ " Raina asked as she and Harpy (along with Seriri still clinging onto the latter) were looking out the window.

"There's so much. I wonder what they drank." Harpy said.

" _Must be a super-duper lot of it. Enough to make them pee this much._ "

"Yeah, totally. Though, why do they have to pee on the ground? That's so not tubular."

"Uh…g-guys. Cl-Clouds don't…p-pee." Seriri stuttered.

"At least Seriri has some common sense in her brain." Raffina said with a facepalm.

"What's happening?" As that was going on, Sig had walked up and stood next to me on a nearby wall."

"It's raining. So we can't go to that boardwalk thing." I said.

"Oh. Well, that sucks."

"Yeah. _***yawn***_ I guess."

"Still tired?"

"Of course, I am. Thanks to you, I had to explain to your 10-year-old sister the process of growing boobs. And she wanted **every last detail!** " I got agitated.

"Well, you can blame Peruvis for that. She was the one who groped Chu for a similar reason."

"H-Hey, you can't blame me entirely!" Peruvis joined our conversation. "Chu's at fault, too! For being a dreaming pre-teen and all."

"Even so, you didn't have to grope each other. That's just weird."

" _Oh. I see what it is now._ " Peruvis then whispered in my ear and we each grew a smirk on our faces.

"What?"

" _Hey, Sig…wanna grope me?_ " Peruvis teased. Purposely bring her chest up to his face.

" **Wh-What?! No! I don't wanna grope you!** "

" _Well, how about me, Sig? Wanna grope me?_ " I teased alongside her. Also doing the same thing.

" **N-No!** " Sig then calmed down a bit. "Wh-Why would I want to grope either one of you?"

" _What do you mean, Sig?_ " We both continued the teasing. " _Don't you love titties?_ "

…

…

…

"There is no way in hell I am answering such a question." Sig looked away from us with a faint blush on his face.

" _ ***giggle***_ Nice work, Arle."

"Same to you, Peruvis." We both hi-fived for the victory.

"Uh…hey, guys." Amitie calls us as she, Raffina, Lidelle, and Ally were looking at us. "What the hell was that?"

"What the hell was what?" We both asked.

"Don't play dumb!" Raffina yelled. "Peruvis, why were you flirting with Sig like that?"

"I was not flirting. I was just screwing with him."

"With your breasts?" Lidelle and Ally asked.

"And furthermore, Arle…" Raffina continued. "…why were you playing along with it? You're okay with another girl feeling up your boyfriend?"

"Oh, it's fine." I said. "It's just friends messing with each other. It's totally fine."

"What the hell?" Was all the group of four said.

" _ ***yawn***_ Hey, what's with all the noise?"

Around this time, Schezo (who I haven't seen since we first got here, btw) came into the room we were all in rubbing one of his eyes.

"Were you asleep this whole time?!" I asked him.

"Yeah, why?"

" **Schezo! You slept for two days STRAIGHT!** "

"Huh. Really? That attic is damn well comfy then." Schezo then started stretching.

"Unbelievable…" Was all I could say.

"Hey, Schezo…you said that you're a dark wizard, right?" Raffina asked.

"Yeah."

"And you can use magic, right?"

"Right."

"So, then you could clear up the rain outside, right?!"

"No."

" **WHAT?!** " Raffina then whined.

"I'm a dark wizard, **NOT** the weather guy. My powers don't work like that."

"Th-Then Arle…"

"Nope. Can't do such a thing." I said.

"A-Ally?"

"Sorry, Raffina. I can't do it either. Neither can Rafisol." Ally said.

" _Sorry._ " Was all Rafisol said.

" _ ***sigh***_ _Aw, damnit._ "

"Do what?" Witch asked as she entered the room.

"Stop the clouds from peeing." Harpy said.

"Wh-What?"

"H-Harpy…" I gained a sweatdrop before turning back to Witch. "It's raining outside and we're looking for ways to clear it up."

"It's raining? Aren't we in the middle of summer?"

"Yeah, I guess. Not really sure how the weather of this world works yet."

"Huh. Well, I could probably get rid of it."

" **REALLY?! YOU CAN?!** " Raffina shouted with glee.

"Sure, I guess. I'll just have to go outside."

" **Please! Whatever works!** "

" _Ohhohoho._ Well, if you say so."

" _This isn't going to end well…_ " Schezo, Rulue, and I whispered under our breaths.

Witch then went outside and stood underneath the tiny cover over the front porch where Baldanders and Poochy were. She then raised her broom in the air facing the dark clouds and it started to glow.

" **Blackhole!** "

She swung her glowing broom at the sky and soon a big black hole appeared. It started sucking up all the rainclouds to the point where there was none in sight. Leaving a bright blue sky in view.

…

…

…

"Woah." Melody said after seconds of silence.

" _Yay! The cloud pee is gone!_ " Raina cheered.

"No more cloud pee ruining our day!" Harpy cheered with her.

"H-Hey…guys. Please stop calling the rain "cloud pee"." Amitie said with a huge sweatdrop.

"Well, that takes care of it." Witch said with a light giggle.

" **YES! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH, WITCH! YOU SAVED MY…OUR BIRTHDAY!** " Raffina cheered.

"Oh, it was no problem. Consider it as my birthday gift to you, Raffina."

" **YES! SO ****ING AWESOME!** "

"M-Miss Raffina…" Lily gained a sweatdrop.

As Raffina was cheering on about her birthday being revived, I just had to ask Witch something. So, I took her aside and spoke to her in private. Knowing her, there just had to be something extra to make the cloud pee disappear.

...

D-Damnit. Now they got me saying it.

* * *

"Okay, Witch. What did you do?" I asked her once we were far enough from the crowd.

"What? The rain was being a bother. So, I got rid of it."

"Where did you "get rid of it" to?"

" _Well…_ " Witch turned her head away from me.

"You didn't…"

"Yeah, I did." She said nonchalantly.

"You do know that if she ends up coming to this world, she'll be pissed as hell."

"Yeah, I know. And I'll be ready to kick her ass if she ever shows up here."

" _ ***sigh***_ Why can't you two just get along?"

"Trust me, Arle. It's never going to happen. So, just drop it already."

"I would drop it if your fights didn't lead to world destruction. Do you know how many times I had to break the two of you apart because I feared you both would kill us all?"

" _ **But she always starts it!**_ " Witch started to whine.

I sighed again. This time, with an added facepalm.

"Look, Witch. Just promise me that if Kikimora does end up in this world, you two won't drag us down to Hell with you."

" _Ugh._ Fine, I promise."

"Good."

…

…

…

" **Hey, wait! What makes you think I'm going to Hell?!** "

"Witch, we killed a bunch of innocent jelly blob creatures by stacking them together, making them pop, and used their souls as magic powers to cast different kinds of spells. We're all going to Hell."

…

…

…

"W-Well, you didn't have to put it like that, sheesh!"

"Right. Sorry." I started rubbing the back of my head.

"Hey, hey, Arle! Happy birthday!" Draco Cheered as she walked up to us both. "So, when do we get cake?"

"I don't know, Draco. Probably later tonight."

" _ **Gao! I gotta wait until tonight to get cake?! What sense does that make?!**_ "

"Well, it's not just my birthday. It's also Raffina and Raina's."

" _Oh~._ So, we're getting three cakes?"

"No, you cake-addicted dunce." Witch said. "Just hold your appetite until tonight."

" _Gao! I can't wait that long!_ "

" _Ugh…_ " Witch then facepalmed in annoyance.

"You know, I think there's food at that boardwalk place." I said.

" **Really?! Then why the hell are we standing around here for?! Let's go!** " Draco then flew off from the house in search for food.

…

Not realizing that she was still in her pajamas the whole time.

" _ ***sigh***_ Typical Draco." We both said.

"Hey, guys! We're about to leave soon! You coming or what?!" Raffina asked us from afar.

"Coming!" I shouted. "Well, this is going to be an interesting day."

"So…did you ever thought that you would be spending your 17th birthday in a completely different world?" Witch asked.

"Heh. Like hell, I did. No way did I see this coming. It's definitely the most unique birthday so far. Being in a different world with friends new and old going to a place called a boardwalk. It's certainly different from being at home." I then ended my thoughts with a sigh. A real depressing one.

"Hey, Arle…I…I heard what happened to Carbuncle. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." I said in a sad tone. "I'm slowly moving on. Even though he's not physically with me for my 17th birthday, he's here in spirit. I'm wearing the Rubelcrack."

"Woah…it's a necklace. Pretty cute."

"Yeah. Raffina made it for me. It's no doubt my most prized possession."

"I see. Well…I hope you have a good birthday, Arle. You deserve it after what you've been through the past 16 years."

"Yeah, no kidding. I'm glad that I get to live a normal life for once. Hang out with friends, go to school, get a job…"

"Have sex."

"Have sex…wait… **d-damnit, you pervert!** " I yelled at Witch with a huge blush of embarrassment.

" _Ohhohoho!_ Got ya, Arle Nadja!"

"Hmph. Yeah, whatever."

"Guys! We're leaving in 10 minutes!" We heard Amitie's voice.

"Ah, damn." I said. "I'm still in my pajamas. And I still want to take a bath, too."

"Hey, can I join you? I was planning to do the same thing."

"Sure, but…aren't you going to look for Draco?"

"Eh. She'll show up eventually once she realizes that she had no idea where this boardwalk place is. I'm not wasting my time on her."

"Good call." I said with a sweatdrop. "Let's just hurry up so that we don't hold everyone off for too long."

"Alright. I can't wait to see my dear 'ol A-cupped friend again. _***giggle***_ "

"Y-You're an A-cup too, you know." I said in a pissed off tone.

"Yeah, but I'm 14. My breasts being this small is normal for my age. Which means that you're under-developed, Arle. _***giggle***_ "

"Oh, what-freaking-ever." I said. Not wanting to continue this damn conversation anymore.

I then looked at the Rubelcrack around my neck and a thought had came to mind.

 _You know, Carby. I would've_ _ **LOVED**_ _a bigger chest. Just saying._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **Nothing much to say about this chapter. It's basically half rewrite and half original. I constantly switched between the two throughout the thing.**

 **The next chapter will debut three new characters. One of them…is part of the reason why I decided not to start a new Puyo story. You'll see.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	63. The Alchemist's Boardwalk Project

**Chapter 63 – The Alchemist's Boardwalk Project**

 **Raffina's POV**

It's quite the walk from the beach house to the boardwalk. About an hour's worth. And we still had about a few miles to go. So, because of that, Chu got tired. So, Sig had to hold her up on his shoulders while she took a quick nap. Apparently, he's done this plenty times before. Which shocked me completely.

 _I didn't think he was so strong. Must be that weird arm of his. Why is it like that, anyway?_

"Man, Chu's really lucky."

"Huh? For what?" Sig asked Ami.

"For having such a caring big bro like you. I may be an only child, but if I had an older sibling, I would want that person to be like you, Sig."

"Really? Wow, thanks. No one's ever said that before."

"Why not? It's so true."

"Yeah, Ami's right." I added. "Do you know how often I wished Amira would take things more seriously?"

"Judging by what happened the first day we came here and earlier this morning, I'd say a lot."

" **DING! DING! DING!** You're right!"

"You know I'm right here, right?" Amira grew insulted. She was the only one of the adults that tagged along. Though, the reason is stupid as hell. To Lily, it was to keep an eye on us. But to Amira, it's because so that she could win a crapload of free stuff.

Free stuff that she'll probably never use again once we get back home.

"That's the freaking point, you dunce." Feli said with a cheeky grin.

" _Shut it, you damn loli brat._ "

" _What did you call me? Do you wish to be banished to Hell by my charms?_ "

"Hah. As if your magical girl spells will have any effect on me."

" _You wanna bet?!_ "

"Guys, knock it off!" I yelled. "Not on my birthday!"

" _Ugh._ Fine." They both whined.

" _Zzz…Shigu…Zzz…_ " As that was going on, Chu began talking in her sleep. She even tightened her grip on Sig and started drooling.

"Aw, geez. Not again." Sig then grabbed a rag he had in his pocket before leaving the house and wiped Chu's mouth of the drool.

" _Zzz…thank you…Shigu…Zzz…_ "

"H-How did she know you did that?" I asked.

"Not sure. She just does."

"R-Right…" I gained a sweatdrop.

"It's still cute, though." Ally said. "You really do care for your sister, Sig."

"Gee, I sure wish **MY** brother was that caring of me." Peruvis said, glaring at Klug with a pissed off look to make a point.

" _She's definitely still pissed about him telling you of her feelings._ " Arle whispered to Sig.

" _Yeah. I don't really blame her._ "

 _Peruvis' feelings? What are they talking about?_

"I-Isn't that Phoenix's job?" Klug asked. Feeling the effects of the threatening glare.

"Yeah, but that damn good-for-nothing wisp just annoys the hell outta me. _Especially after what he did._ "

 _What Phoenix did? I'll admit, that's completely normal coming from her. But I feel like this particular thing is on a bigger scale than the others._

"Um, hello?" Phoenix said as he came out of Peruvis' back. "This "damn good-for-nothing wisp" is the only reason your lazy ass is still alive!"

" _ **Lazy ass?!**_ **God, if you were a person right now I would strangle the f*** outta you!** "

" **PERUVIS!** " The other girls shouted.

"What? Chu's asleep. She won't hear."

"That doesn't give you the right to curse up a storm." I said.

"Hah. **YOU** telling me to stop cursing? That's rich."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Raffina, you swearing is like part of your daily vocabulary. You're always doing it."

"N-No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do." Ami, Lidelle, Ally, Klug, Feli, and Amira all debunked that claim of hers.

" **N-No one asked any of you!** "

"But, Raffi. You swear all the time." Ami said. "You even got Raina doing it."

"Tch. That imbecile swearing? Please. Don't make me laugh, Ami. There's no way she knows any…"

" _Ooh~. Look at the ****ing birdy._ "

"Wh-What?"

We looked at Raina as she saw some seagulls eating some trash from a nearby trash can.

" _Hey, Raffina. Why are they eating from the trash can? Don't they know how ****ing disgusting that sh** is?_ "

"See?" Ally said to me.

 _Goddamn it, you ****ing idiot._

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine, I admit it. I do swear a lot. But it's not like I'm swearing all day every day."

"Raffina's got a point." Ringo said. "She isn't yelling out " **f*ck! sh*t! c*nt!** " nonstop."

"R-Ringo…" Lidelle facepalmed. While some of us had blushed faces from hearing what just came out of this girl's mouth.

"Wow, Ringo. I didn't know you swore." Peruvis said.

"Yeah, I do. But only when I'm by myself or with certain friends. Not many people know about my dirty language."

"How dirty are we talking about?"

"Dirty as in this." Ringo then cleared her throat and began to give an example.

"Aw, geez. Everyone, prepare yourselves." Lidelle said as she coved her ears.

"Prepare?" I asked. "What is she about to…"

"Hey, you there. F*ck off! And when you get there, f*ck off from there, too! F*ck off from around the ****ing corner from nowhere and then f*ck off some more! Keep ****ing off until you come ****ing back here! Then f*ck off again! Because quite frankly, I don't give a f*ck! _***giggle***_ "

…

…

…

" _Pfft!_ **BAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!** " Then, breaking the silence, Ally, Peruvis, Amira, and even Arle had broke down laughing. While the rest of us…we were left speechless.

 _D-Damn. I-I've never heard so many f-bombs in one sitting before. Th-That was…w-wow._

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Lidelle asked her cousin.

"What? It's free speech. I was just trying to make it interesting."

" **W-Well, you successfully did that, Ringo!** " Peruvis yelled as she was still laughing. " **Th-That was the best thing I've ever heard!** "

" **Agreed!** " The other three laughing girls yelled.

"Well, you're very ****ing welcome." Ringo said with another giggle.

" _What a weird ****ing day this is._ "

"Raffi…shut up." Ami said to me.

" _Zzz…_ " By the way, all of that happened while Chu was still sleeping.

 _Thank God her mind is still pure enough…_

* * *

It wasn't long after… **THAT** …was when we arrived at the boardwalk. And it was pretty crowded. Due to the fact that a lot of people wanted to do as much as they could before school starts back up again.

" _Woah!_ Look at this place, Seriri!" Harpy cheered to her. "Isn't this boardwalk place so totally tubular?!"

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah. It totally is, Harpy."

" _Wowie. Look at all the people here. I'm gonna go kick them!_ "

"W-Wait a second!" I yelled as I grabbed Raina by her collar. "I don't trust you wandering on your own here."

" _Aw!_ "

"And furthermore, why do you want to go kick people?"

" _Hmm…I don't know. I just feel like kicking people for some reason. Hey, can I kick you?_ "

" **N-No, you can't kick me!** "

" _Double aw!_ "

"You can kick Feli. I'm sure she won't mind." Amira said.

" **Yes, I WILL mind! Don't kick me, Raina!** " Feli yelled.

" _Triple aw! I wanna kick people!_ "

 _Just what the hell is wrong with this clone?_

"Okay…kicking people aside, what's there to do on this boardwalk?" Ami asked.

"I'm…not sure. I've never been down here myself. I don't even know the name."

"Seriously? You don't know the name?" Lidelle asked. "This boardwalk is probably the most famous one of them all."

"Famous?" We all grew curious.

" ***clears throat*** Legend has it, this boardwalk was built right above the gravesite of an evil fish woman."

"Evil fish woman?"

"They call her The Screaming Banshee. Mainly because her wails of torture can be heard every night after the boardwalk closes."

"W-Wails of…t-t-torture? _H-H-Harpy…I-I'm scared._ " Seriri started clinging harder onto Harpy as the story continued.

"Don't you worry, Seriri. I got you."

"And if you just happen to hear that wail, The Screaming Banshee will grab you by your soul and drag you straight down to the watery grave she resides in. For all eternity."

" **E-Eternity?!** " We were all freaked the hell out by that story. I can't believe something that terrifying was living underneath this boardwalk. Who thought it was a good idea to build it **HERE**?!

"G-Geez, Lidelle. I-Is all of that true?" Ally asked.

"Yep. Such is the legend…of the Banshee Boardwalk."

"Woah…the Banshee Boardwalk…" Arle said. "That honestly sounds…"

" **COMPLETELY FAKE!** "

" **Huh?!** " We all looked at Ringo.

"Lidelle, quit screwing with us with that lame as hell story."

" _ ***sigh***_ Dang it. I had a feeling you were onto me, Ringo."

" **W-Wait, you made that whole thing up?!** " Ami asked. " **B-But it sounded so real!** "

"That's because it was Lidelle telling it. With her title and all, of course it would sound believable."

"S-So, this boardwalk wasn't built above a gravesite?" Witch asked.

"Nope." Lidelle said.

"And there's no Screaming Banshee?" Chu asked.

"Nope."

"What about the name?" Amira asked. "How'd you even come up with a name like "Banshee Boardwalk" so fast?"

"Because Banshee Boardwalk is a track from Mario Kart."

" **I freaking knew it!** " Peruvis yelled. " **I knew I heard that name somewhere before!** "

"I actually wanted to say that first. But you all were being roped in so easily that I decided to save it for later."

"Tch. Damnit, Lidelle. That so wasn't funny." I said.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to mess with you guys. _***giggle***_ "

" _Grr…_ "

" _Hey, Raffina. Can I kick her?_ " Raina asked.

"Hmm…sure, Raina. You can kick Lidelle."

"W-Wait, what?" Lidelle quickly began panicking.

" _Yay! Hold still, Lidelle! I'm gonna give you one big kick!_ "

" **W-Wait a second! I-It was just a joke! You're seriously going to kick me for it?!** "

"Better starting running, Lidelle. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ " I gloated.

" _Kickity Kick-Kick!_ "

" **Gah! R-Raina, wait! D-DON'T KICK ME!** " Lidelle soon started running while Raina chased after her. Wanting to kick her so very bad.

"You know…even though she kinda deserves it, I'm gonna go after them." Ally said.

"Do as you must." I replied. Followed by another elegant laugh.

* * *

Not long after that, we all split up into groups to avoid crowding up the place even more. Witch went to watch over Harpy, Seriri, and Raina as they went to find the most tubular thing here. Whatever the hell that is.

Feli, Rafisol, and Ringo went to check out a fortune-telling booth to receive fortunes. Not sure why Feli's doing it. Since she can do fortunes on her own. Nor do I know why Rafisol and Ringo went with her. I guess they're all into that stuff. Maybe.

Amira immediately went to the games to try to win the crap she wanted before. I secretly made a bet with Feli that she would win absolutely nothing. With the winner getting the first slice of birthday cake later tonight.

 _I'm so going to win._

And then it was Sig, Klug, Chu, Arle, and Peruvis. The latter two were acting pretty strange as they went to just go walk around the place. Peruvis was up against Sig all weird like and Arle was completely okay with it. And with that and what happened this morning, I feel like something is up with those three.

What that is, I have no idea.

So, that left Ami, Ally, Lidelle (who managed to not get kicked by Raina), and myself. The four of us had agreed early on to make our time here a double date of sorts. Just to be alone with the person we love.

We rode all the rides, played most of the games, and now we were eating a bunch of junk food that we got from the snack bar. Sitting on a nearby bench as we continued to enjoy our first birthday double date.

" _Ah._ This is nice." Lidelle said.

"Yep. Sure is." Ally added. "You avoided getting your ass kicked and now we're enjoying our day here."

"Wh-Why did you bring that up?" Lidelle gained a pale look on her face.

"This is a great way to spend your birthday right, Raffi?" Ami asked me.

"I guess. But I would honestly prefer spending my 17th birthday dancing at an elegant ballroom. But I guess this will do." I said as I took a bite of my cotton candy.

"I see… **w-wait, you're 17?!** "

"How are you older than us?" Ally asked.

"I-I uh…f-failed a grade. N-Not a big deal."

"Really? Which one?"

"I just said it's not a big deal."

"Probably kindergarten. Since that was when I first met her." Lidelle said.

"How do you fail kindergarten?" Ami asked.

"L-Look, can we just drop this conversation already? It not freaking important."

"It may not be important, but it sure is interesting."

"Yep." Lidelle said.

"Sure is." Ally said.

" _Ugh._ " I facepalmed hard in annoyance." _What I would do for a distraction right now…_ "

And then right at that moment…

 ***BOOM***

" **W-Woah! Wh-What was that?!** "

"It sounded like it came from nearby." Lidelle said.

We then saw a group of bubbles, each colored pink, orange, and light blue, flowing up in the air. And they don't seem like popping anytime soon.

"Hey, Ami. Don't those bubbles look familiar?" Ally asked her.

"Yeah…yeah, they kinda do."

"You know what that is?" I asked.

"I think. Let's go see what it is, Ally."

"Right behind you, Ami."

Lidelle and I looked at each other with confusion before deciding to follow our girlfriends to the site of the explosion. Which wasn't that far from where we were sitting.

 _That blast radius was small as hell, now that I think about it._

We reached the area near the explosion happened and there were still bubbles flying up in the sky. Ami and Ally kept talking to each other saying that the bubbles looked extremely familiar. But they won't tell us what they're thinking.

"Uh…you guys sure you guys know what these bubbles are?" I asked.

"Definitely." Ami said. "They look familiar."

"I'm having a hard time believing it, but…maybe it is _**that**_ person." Ally added.

" _ **That**_ _person? What are they talking about?_ " Lidelle whispered to me.

" _I have no idea._ "

" _ ***cough* *cough cough cough***_ "

We soon heard someone coughing and rushed over to see if they needed help. There, at a stand, was a girl with a weird combination of green & turquoise hair. Tied by two orbs, one pink, one blue, into a ponytail that kinda looked like the top of a pineapple. She also had a pencil in her mouth for some reason. Kinda gross.

She wore what looked like a school uniform. A white untucked dress shirt with a pink & blue tie and a blue skirt with a pink outline. All underneath a green coat that looked way too big on her. Since you couldn't see her hands at all.

Her shoes and socks were pretty cool. Her left sock was orange & yellow stripped and her right sock was red & yellow stripped. And then her shoes were black…but with these weird grinning faces on them. The left shoe having a blue one and the right shoe having a pink one.

It was some outfit, alright. Probably the strangest I've ever seen.

" _ ***cough cough***_ Oh…That went bad…I mixed a whole lotta stuff together, and then separated it out...and I guess what I ended up with was some really weird stuff... _pfft_."

 _Pfft? The hell does that mean?_

"I don't believe it. It really is her, Ami." Ally said.

"I know. I'm just as shocked as you are."

"You two know that girl?" Lidelle asked.

"Yeah, we do." Ami then went over to the girl. "Hey, Dalida."

"Ah…Ami…Ally…nice to see you… _pfft_."

"So, that explosion came from you. I knew it felt familiar somehow." Ally said.

"Yeah…I've jammed in too many lab tools...now I gotta "chuck" my "chuck"... _pfft_."

…

…

…

"What?" Was all Lidelle and I could say.

"Oh. Sorry, guys." Ami said to us. "This is Dalida Jihira. She's an old classmate of ours from Konoko Valley."

"She's into chemistry. Always doing chemical experiments of some kind." Ally said.

"Nice to meet you… _pfft_."

…

…

…

"Uh…right." I said. Still weirded out by this girl. "Well…I'm Raffina Fielding."

"And I'm Lidelle Namanari."

"Namanari…ah…you're the Demonic Princess…so cool… _pfft_."

" _ ***giggle***_ Thank you." Lidelle enjoyed the recognition as always.

" _How the hell does Dalida know about the Demonic Princess?_ " Ally whispered to Ami.

" _This_ _ **IS**_ _Dalida we're talking about. She must've found a way somehow and it's best that we didn't know._ "

" _Right…_ "

 _Okay. Just how weird is this girl? Because if she knows about Lidelle's royal title, then she's_ _ **DEFINITELY**_ _not normal. Just saying._

"So, Dalida. What are you doing all the way out here?" Ami asked.

"Yeah, it's kinda odd to see you here in Primp." Ally added.

"Oh…well…I'm doing an experiment and it required me to come here… _pfft._ "

"Another one? You were busy with a different one around the time I left Konoko."

"That one failed…didn't chuck the chemicals enough…led to an explosion…and a pretty rainbow… _pfft._ "

"I-I see…" Ally said as we all gained a sweatdrop.

"S-So, what's the latest experiment?" Ami asked.

"I heard rumors of rainbow jellies with big eyes randomly appearing in certain areas…a lot of them seem to appear here…so I came to get some and see what they are… _pfft._ "

"Rainbow jellies?" We were all confused with what this already weird girl was talking about.

"Hey, wait a second. Didn't Klug say that Akuma found a bunch of those things and used them for the festival's slinging competition?" Lidelle asked.

"He did, didn't he? But I didn't give it much thought." I said.

"Me neither." Ami added.

"Hmm…Arle might know what they are."

"She does?" We looked at Ally.

"When it was brought up, she started talking to herself. I tried asking her…but she was far too deep for me to get her attention."

"Huh."

"Is this Arle a friend of yours… _pfft._ " Dalida asked.

"Yeah, she is. She's actually here with us. We just need to find her."

"It shouldn't take long, Dalida. Why don't you come with us?"

 _Wait, what?_

" **H-HOLD ON A SEC!** Ami, a word for a second." I dragged my girlfriend by the arm a few feet away from the rest of the group.

"What is it, Raffi?"

"Ami. I really don't want to get involved in this. That girl is weird as hell."

"Oh come on, Raffi. She's an old friend of mine and I really want to help her out."

"If she's really an old friend of yours, then you should know how much a freaking weirdo she is. Her voice sounds like she's drunk and I _**really**_ don't know what the hell " _pfft_ " is supposed to mean."

"That's just how she is. She's been like that since the day we met."

"The day you met, huh?" I gained an exasperated look. "Ami, I seriously question your choice of friends from Konoko."

"Come on. Just go with it and help out."

"No way. I'm not getting involved in this crap. If you _**really**_ want to help that weird-ass friend of yours do whoever the hell knows what instead of staying with me and celebrate a normal birthday, then go on the hell ahead."

" _Ugh._ Geez, you're so freaking stubborn. Well, fine. I will go. Maybe you can have your "normal" birthday with someone who isn't a weird-ass."

"H-Hey, wait a second! Th-That's not what I meant! Ami!" I yelled after her. But she flat out ignored me and walked off with the other girls. Leaving me all alone on my birthday. Starting to regret what I just said.

" _ ***sigh***_ Damnit. I screwed up big time." I then took out my phone and started scrolling through my contacts. "Maybe I can hang with Feli until she calms down. Hopefully, she does."

And so, alone on my birthday, I started walking around the boardwalk looking for my cousin. It's not at all how I planned to spend my birthday. But it's better than being alone.

But as I did so, one thought came to mind.

 _Wait…who the hell is she calling stubborn?! I'm not stubborn!_

…

 _A-At least I think I'm not._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **New character #1. Dalida is yet another character from Quest. But she's going to be the last one for a good while (keep in mind that there's still Toule). The next set of characters are returning and/or completely original.**

 **Fun fact: I actually use Dalida a lot in Quest. Maxed her out and everything. She's a really good character to have.**

 **Anyway. Speaking of original characters, the next chapter will debut a character that I honestly had trouble deciding whether or not to add in this story. But in the end, I decided to do it. Plus, this character is one of my personal favorites. I don't want it to go to waste.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	64. Feli's First Friend

**Chapter 64 – Feli's First Friend**

 **Feli's POV**

"So, you made fun of Amitie's _**special**_ friend, she got pissed, and then she ditched you. Nice way to celebrate your birthday, Cousin."

"I-I didn't make fun of her!" Raffina yelled as she had met up with Rafisol, Ringo, and I after Amitie ditched her. "And she's wasn't _**special**_! She was just…weird."

"Weird?"

"With the way you said that she talks like she's drunk and goes " _pfft_ " after every sentence, you definitely made it sound like she's _**special**_." Ringo said.

"I didn't mean it like that. When I said "special", it was more like…she has a speech impediment or something."

"That's not _**special**_ at all…" Ringo and I gained a sweatdrop.

"Wh-Whatever. I just need to stay here until Ami finishes helping her friend. _Or at least until she calms down a little…_ " Raffina mumbled that last part to herself.

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright, fine." I said. We weren't really doing much anyway."

"We were heading for the arcade to play some games. Wanna come?" Ringo asked.

"I already played most of them. But alright. It'll give me something to do until the others are done."

"Suit yourself." I said. "Come on, Rafisol."

" _Okay._ " Was all the soulless girl replied with as she floated over to us.

The walk to the arcade was rather long. So, we ended up talking about whatever came to mind. And in my mind was something I wanted to ask Rafisol about.

"Hey, Rafisol. Raffina said that this girl was a friend of Amitie and Ally. Do you know her, too?"

" _Dalida? Not really. She was mostly Onee-chan's friend._ "

"Oh, really? Did you have friends of your own?"

Rafisol went silent for a bit. Probably thinking about it a little. Then turned to us and silently shook her head no.

"Really? Not one friend?"

" _I had friends. They were Onee-chan's first, though. She introduced them to me._ "

"So, you never made a friend on your own before?"

" _Hmm…no. Not really. You're my first friend, Feli._ "

" **F-First friend?!** " I yelled in complete shock as I had that one sentence play in my head over and over again until I finally believed it.

 _H-Holy crap! I actually made a friend! On my own this time! No stupid counselors pairing me up with someone out of pity due to my personality! All of them can_ _ **suck it!**_

" _Feli. Are you okay?_ "

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine. In fact…I'm glad to be your first friend, Rafisol. It really means a lot."

" _Thanks, Feli._ " Rafisol said with a small smile.

* * *

We finally reached the arcade and it was crowded as hell. This was to be expected since this was the last week this place was going to be open due to school starting in two weeks.

After looking for any games that didn't have a line, we found one near the back of the area. It was a game in which you rack up points by hitting the sandbag as many times as you can within the time limit.

And there was one person who was definitely excited about it.

"Ha. A game like this in the back of the arcade? How did I miss this? A game like this is **perfect** for someone like me. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

"Yeah, yeah. Just hurry it up and play." I said to Raffina.

"Hmph. Watch closely, girls. Prepared to be amazed."

" _Ooh~._ "

"R-Rafisol, you're a bit early on the "amazed" part." Ringo said with a sweatdrop.

Raffina placed a token inside the machine and it began lighting up. As she got herself ready, the countdown began to start.

"Ready?" A voice from the machine spoke as it started counting down from 3. " **GO!** "

"Heh. Let's go." Raffina said with a cheeky smirk. Then she started punching and kicking the thing like there was no tomorrow.

" **Averse!** "

" **Étincelle!** "

" **Orage!** "

" **Rage Soleil!** "

" **Feu d'Arti!** "

Problem is...the moves that I no doubt she named herself are in French. So, the three of us had no idea what exactly she was doing.

And to make matters worse, she was shouting these moves like a little kid playing superhero or something. And the majority of the arcade was starring at us.

" _Aw, geez._ " I tried to cover my face from embarrassment.

"Hey, uh…Feli." Ringo said to me. "No offense, but your cousin's kind of a chuunibyou."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

" _She's a funny_ _chuunibyou, Feli._ " Rafisol said.

"Rafisol, I'm not entirely sure how a chuunibyou can be funny." I gained a sweatdrop.

" _Oh._ "

" **5! 4! 3! 2!** "

"Here we go! The final strike! **Ciel Arc!** " Raffina had kicked the sandbag so hard that it actually left a dent in it for some time. And speaking of time…

" **Finish!** "

…

" **Congratulations! New High Score!** "

" _ ***giggle***_ That was nothing. It was no match for my super stylish special moves! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

" _Such a chuunibyou…_ "

"What?"

"N-Nothing, Raffina." The three of us said.

"Wow. You really set a high standard there." Said a girl who had casually walked up to us. It was rather rude of her to jump into our conversation like nobody's business. And I'm the type of person to tell one off if such a thing happened.

But…I just happen to know this girl.

"Futaba?"

"Hey, Feli. Didn't expect to see you here."

"Yeah…the same for you."

"Feli, you know this girl?" Raffina asked.

"Oh, yeah. This is Futaba Okazaki. She's a friend of mine from Ryoku Isle."

"Wow. Someone from Ryoku Isle who isn't my cousin. That's interesting."

"Your…cousin?" Futaba seemed confused.

"This is my cousin Raffina Fielding. I live with her now."

"Ah. I see."

"And these are my friends Ringo Ando and Rafisol Nakano."

"Um…why is Rafisol floating?"

"She was born without a soul. It's a rare birth defect."

"Wow…"

"Hey, there. Nice to meet you, Futaba." Ringo said.

" _Woah…Feli's friend from home. So cool._ " Rafisol said. Sounding oddly amazed at the mere existence of Futaba.

"Eh. Futaba isn't really that cool, Rafisol."

" _Don't make me punch you._ " Futaba said with a pissed off look on her face.

"So, what are you doing here, Futaba? I thought you were busy with the Kenpō Club."

"I am. We're actually in the middle of a summer training camp. A few of us decided to come to this boardwalk and I guess we got separated somewhere. _Hehheh._ "

"I see." I gained a sweatdrop.

 _Futaba was always the type of person to get easily distracted…_

"Anyway…you set a pretty high score there, Raffina. I was wondering if I could try and beat it."

"Ha. _**You**_ beat _**my**_ score?" Raffina gloated. "I may have just met you, Futaba, but there is **NO WAY** you have a chance of beating my high score. My super stylish special moves can't be matched by anyone. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

…

" _Is she a chuunibyou?_ " Futaba asked me.

" _Most likely._ "

" _Huh._ Well, there's always room for an attempt. Let me try."

"Hmph. Do as you wish. You won't beat my score, though. From the looks of it, you lack stamina."

 _Cousin, you have no idea how wrong you are…_

Futaba placed a token inside the machine and it began lighting up. As she got herself ready, the countdown began to start.

"Ready? **GO!** " The machine spoke like last time.

"Alright. Here goes." Futaba said before taking a deep breath and getting into a fighting stance.

Then…

" **Nage-Waza!** "

 ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM***

" **Nice Combo!** "

" **Huh?!** " Raffina yelled in shock as she witnessed the girl perform 3 punches in rapid succession.

" **Kiri-Waza!** "

 ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM***

" **Great Combo!** "

" **Wh-What?!** " Raffina yelled again.

" _ ***giggle***_ Impressed yet? This is only the beginning."

"Woah. This girl's good." Ringo said.

" _Really good._ " Rafisol added.

"In Futaba's case, "good" is an understatement." I said with a pretty mellow look on my face.

" **Kumo-Ashi!** "

 ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM***

" **Gyaku-Tenshin!** "

 ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM* *SLAM***

" **Awesome Combo!** "

" _Wh-Wha…_ Wh-What is this fighting style? I-I've never seen such moves in my life. **Are they even real?!** " Raffina asked. No longer hiding her shocked expressions from everyone.

"Trust me, Cousin. They're real." I said.

" **5! 4! 3! 2!** "

Futaba began giggling a bit as the game started counting down. She then turned around to where she was facing us but with her eyes closed.

And then…

" **Ushiro-Ukemi!** "

 ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM* *SLAM* *SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM* *SLAM* *SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM* *SLAM* *SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM*** ***SLAM* *SLAM***

 ***SLAM***

" **Finish!** " With a flurry of punches and ending it all with a powerful kick, Futaba had ended her round with her greatest move that she's learned from the Kenpō Club. Leaving even more dents than when Raffina went during her turn.

" **Congratulations! New High Score!** "

"Taigamae." Futaba said with a bow.

" _H-Holy…cr-crap._ " Raffina was mostly a lost for words.

"Man. That was a workout. I should just come here for training instead of the gym at school."

"If you do that, you'll break the damn machine." I said with a sweatdrop.

" **Wh-What was that?!** " Raffina yelled. " **A-All of those punches and kicks and even a backflip at one point! That was crazy insane!** "

" _ ***giggle***_ Thanks. All of that…minus the backflip…was part of a Japanese martial art known as Shōrin-ji Kenpō."

"Shorn…in…what?"

"You can just call it Shaolin Temple Boxing."

"Futaba is part of a Kenpō club at my old school." I said. "They even participate in national competitions and the group had won a few of them."

"Competitions?! In which you **WON**?! Okay, that's it! You've gotta teach me how to do all of that!"

"T-Teach you? I-I don't know…"

"Come on, Futaba! Please! My fighting style is nothing compared to this Kempo thing!"

"It's Kenpō. With an N."

"Raffina, Kenpō isn't an easy thing to learn." I said. "Plus, it's very scarce in this region. The reason why that school has it is because Futaba started the club herself."

"Oh. I see…Then, I'll just start one of my own."

"What?" Futaba and I were shocked by what she just said.

"I mean, it can't be that hard to start a club. My popularity and charm will get a ton of people to join." Raffina said with a flick of her hair.

"Okay then. What about after you get enough people to start a Kenpō Club?" Futaba asked. "You'll need to make sure that these people have at least some knowledge of it. **AND** you'll need a coach to train you. **AND** you'll need to register to be an official league."

"Not to mention that you need to know Japanese." I added.

"Aw, I can do all of that. I'm a Fielding, after all. I can do anything as long as I have the money for it! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

" _She's so freaking hopeless…_ " We basically gave up reasoning with her at this point.

"Welp. That was an experience. I'm gonna head off now. Pretty sure Ami's calm down a bit since then. Thanks for the tips, Futaba!"

"B-But I didn't… _ ***sigh***_ _Wasurete kudasai_." Futaba said as the four of us watched my cousin run out of the arcade to find her girlfriend.

"And there she goes…" Ringo said.

" _Wow. Raffina runs fast._ " Rafisol said.

"Sorry about my cousin." I said to Futaba. "She can be a bit hardheaded sometimes."

"Nah, it's fine. I'm actually curious as to if she can pull this off. It'll be nice to have more Kenpō leagues in this region."

"Yeah…I guess."

* * *

With Raffina gone and the machine nearly busted, the four of us decided to just walk the rest of the boardwalk some more. It was a good way to catch up with Futaba. Even though it's only been a few weeks since I moved from Ryoku.

"So, the Kenpō Club is transferring to the high school, huh?"

"Yeah. It actually took a while. We had to let the student council know in advance so that we can be recognized as an official club and receive funds. The process was a total pain in the ass."

"I see."

"Shōrin-ji Kenpō…seeing it in action makes me understand it a bit more."

"You've heard of it, Ringo?" I asked.

"Well, kinda. I saw a little of it during my middle school's Cultural Festival. My parents wanted me to try it since it's a part of my heritage. But I'm not really the fighting type."

"Part of your heritage? Wait, you're Japanese?"

"Yeah, but I wasn't really born there. My parents moved to Suzuran before I came along."

"Huh. The same for me. My mom moved to Ryoku before I was born."

"Woah. So, you're Japanese, too? No wonder we get along so well."

"Yeah, I was shocked to find out that this little loli was Japanese as well." Futaba said. "There aren't that many of us in this region."

" _I'm not a loli…_ " I silently whined.

"As well? You're Japanese too, Futaba?"

"Yep. The only difference is that I was actually born there. My family moved to Ryoku when I was three."

"I see. Well, that's pretty interesting."

" _Feli._ "

"Huh? Oh sorry, Rafisol. We didn't mean to ignore you."

" _I'm Japanese, too._ "

"Seriously?!" The three of us asked. Rafisol only replied with a simple emotionless nod.

"Man. Who would've thought that the three of us would become friends and then find out that we're from the same region?" I asked.

"Yeah, it is rather lucky." Ringo said.

" _I guess._ " Rafisol said. " _Ah. Ringo, look._ "

"The cotton candy? Rafisol, we just had some not too long ago."

" _Not that. Next to it._ "

"Next to it? ***gasp* Holy crap! That stand over there…It has a Mega Drive Mini for its grand prize!** "

" _It's super hard to find one now. Onee-chan's been looking for ages._ "

" _ **Ooh!**_ **If I can win that, then this whole trip would be completely worth it! Wanna join, Feli?!** "

"I'll catch up in a sec."

" **Fair enough! Come on, Rafisol!** "

" _Okay._ " Rafisol said as she followed a completely excited Ringo to the booth.

"The two of them are gamers to the core."

" _ ***giggle***_ You sure got some interesting friends here, Feli." Futaba said.

"Yeah." I then went silent for a bit. "H-Hey. How are…the others doing? Are they…okay?"

"Well…they're okay for their own standards. Hinata's still gullible, Naoko's still a smartass, and Rin's just as hyper as ever."

"I see. So, they haven't changed much."

"Well, it's only been a few weeks since you moved. For any of them to change, it'll have to take at least a year."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, that's true."

"But…they do miss you, Feli. And so do I. I was actually really happy to run into you at the arcade. But with so many people there, I couldn't really show my excitement all too much."

"Yeah…same here. I was truly happy to see you again, Futaba. After all…you were my first friend."

" _ ***giggle***_ So, I see that you finally got over the fact that I was paired up with you because the counselors felt pity for you."

"No, I'm still pissed about that. But at least this paring led up to me having actual friends instead of people who were bribed with money."

"Well, knowing your personality, bribing them made sense."

" _I'll curse you._ " I said while pointing my dosing rods at Futaba.

"Kidding, kidding." Futaba started giggling at my threat. "But…you seem to be having a good life here. A brainy girl and a soulless girl. And they both just happen to be Japanese. You hit the jackpot of friends, Feli."

"Yeah. I guess I did."

" **Gah! You ****ing cheating piece of sh*t! I had that ****ing ring right on the ****ing head! Your b*tch ass is trying to scam me out of my money! I'll ****ing kick you in the ****ing d*ck for that sh*t!** "

…

…

…

"Although…Ringo has recently admitted that she curses from time to time." I said with a sweatdrop.

"Yeah…I can tell." Futaba said. Also with a sweatdrop.

"Hey, Futaba! There you are!"

"Come on! We're leaving!"

"Coming!" Futaba yelled out to the other Kenpō Club girls. "Well, that's my last call. It was nice to see you again, Feli. Have fun at Primp High."

"Yeah…W-Wait! Primp High is actually closed down. So, I'm actually going to Suzuran High."

"Suzuran? Well, look at you going up in the world. Have fun at Suzuran High, then."

"Thanks. I will."

"Come on, Futaba! We're gonna miss the bus!"

"Alright, I'm coming!" Futaba yelled. " _ ***sigh***_ I gotta go. But, hey…I'll text you later tonight. We can even get the others in by group chat."

"Sounds good to me. See ya, Futaba."

"Later, Feli. Hope we see each other again soon." Futaba said as she ran off to meet up with her clubmates. Around that time, Ringo and Rafisol had returned from the game booth. The former looking rather pissed off.

"Tch. Damn that con-artist. I bet he only has that Mega Drive Mini up on display as a way to attract people to scam with. That game is totally rigged."

"If that game is rigged, then how come Rafisol has a prize?" I asked.

" _The guy gave it to me because Ringo made him cry._ "

"I-It wasn't my intent. I didn't know he was extremely sensitive." Ringo defended herself.

"Right…" I didn't believe her.

"Hey, where did Futaba go?"

"She had to return to her Kenpō Club. Just left a few seconds ago."

"I see."

" _Aw. She was fun._ " Rafisol said.

"Yeah, she was. But I'm sure we'll see her again. Ryoku isn't that far from Primp."

"You're saying that we can go visit her?" Ringo asked.

"Or she can come visit us. Whichever works out."

"Huh."

"So, what do you guys want to do now?"

"Hmm…well, we can…"

 ***BOOM***

"…find out what that explosion was." Was all Ringo said as we watched a bunch of blue smoke rise up into the sky.

"Yeah…I guess we can do that."

" _Pretty._ " Rafisol said.

"Rafisol, you're missing the point…" Ringo and I gained a sweatdrop.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **While babysitting Raffina after her fight with Amitie, Feli reunites with an old friend of hers. Her very first friend, to be exact.**

 **So, yeah…this was the character I was talking about when I said I was having trouble deciding whether or not to add. After putting off Feli's Summer Break, I was looking for ways to bring back Futaba and the others in a normal fashion. One of them being a story in which they got sent to Primp in the same style as Ringo, Maguro, and Risukuma did in 20** **th** **Anniversary. I actually got pretty far on it before going with this. Maybe I can finish it and put up anyways. It'll just be sitting in my computer, otherwise.**

 **Shōrin-ji Kenpō (or just simply Kenpō) is something I've been using a lot to improve Futaba's character a little. To the point where I've made a valid move set for her in Puyo battles. Since she's normally from the "Real World", she's magicless. So, she uses Kenpō moves as a way to attack. They are as follow:**

 **Chain 1 - Nage-Waza (Nage Technique)**

 **Chain 2 - Kiri-Waza (Killy Technique)**

 **Chain 3 - Kumo-Ashi (Cloud-Foot)**

 **Chain 4 - Gyaku-Tenshin (Reverse Dim Sum)**

 **Chain 5 - Ushiro-Ukemi (Back-Passive)**

 **She's like Rulue, in a way. Which is great because she's my favorite character at this point.**

 **So, this was new character #2. New character #3 is one from a story that I had scrapped nearly a year ago. I wrote a tiny piece of it…but then never went back to it. And writing in Dalida made me remember this one. So, why not.**

 **Also, a bit of self-promoting here. If you're interested, please take a look at my (not so) new story The Rainbow Shards. It's an adventure-style crossover between many different series including Puyo Puyo. Although, it's not canon to any games whatsoever. Keep that in mind.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	65. The Sentient Blob

**Chapter 65 – The Sentient Blob**

 **Sig's POV**

" _ ***sigh***_ _…_ Man, this "boardwalk" place is better than I thought." Arle said.

"Glad you're liking it, Arle." Peruvis said. "But we still got more of this place to cover down."

" _Ooh~._ There's more? Now, I _**really**_ want to see it all!"

"Well, we will. Arle. The three of us will explore every inch of this boardwalk! Right, Sig?"

"Yeah! Right, Sig?"

"Yeah. Sure. But for the time being… **CAN YOU BOTH BACK OFF FROM MY FACE?! I CAN'T BREATHE!** " I yelled at the two girls who were snuggled against my face as we were walking through the boardwalk.

"Sorry, Sig." Arle said.

"You didn't have to yell, though. A simple please would've done it." Peruvis added.

"I did. Multiple times. And yet, they just flew over both of your heads."

"Well, I was purposely ignoring you."

" _Of course, you were…_ " I mumbled in anger.

"I really am sorry, Sig." Arle said. "But…I was just _**really**_ enjoying our time together."

"Yeah, me too." Peruvis said. "Just the three of us."

"Uh…three?"

"Are we mere shadows to you people?" It was at that point in which Klug, Chu, and Phoenix finally spoke after witnessing what the three of us were doing.

"Well, Phoenix. You are kinda shadowy…ish." Peruvis said.

"I'm a soul, you moron. They're two completely different things. You should know since I'm always inside you."

"Meh. Same difference."

" _ ***sigh***_ So, what are we doing now?" Klug asked.

"We haven't really done anything since we split up from the others." Chu said.

"When are you going to be done with this harem of yours?" Phoenix asked me.

" **I-It's not a harem!** It's just…an unfortunate event in which I have two girls that are in love with me and now we're making it work. Somehow."

"That's a harem." The trio said.

" **It is NOT!** "

"Um…pushing this "harem" thing aside, what's here to do?" Arle asked.

"Well, Arle…" Klug said as he pushed up his glasses in a somewhat cocky way. "…there are plenty of things to do in a setting such as this. Small rides to go on, simple attractions to see, extreme food concoctions to get diabetes from."

"Diabetes?" Peruvis and I gained a sweatdrop.

"And not to mention the multitude of games scattered throughout the place."

"Games? Oh, now you're talking!" Arle cheered.

 _Games? Aw, crap._

"Ooh! Shigu! Let's do that one!" Chu shouted. She was pointing to that one game where you shoot at stuff and whatever you knockdown, you win.

"Uh… _ **that**_ game?" To be honest, I never liked this game…or any boardwalk game for that matter. Stuff like this always cheat and scam you out of your money. And there's really nothing you can do about it. Just cry about losing your money and move on.

But…I might as well put up with it. For the girl's sake. Though, I hope none of them notice my current mood. It really shouldn't affect them having a good time here.

"Sure. Why not?" I finally said before we made our way to the booth.

"So, what do you do here?" Arle asked me.

"You take this toy gun and shoot it at the stuff on the self there. If one falls over, you win that prize."

"Really? That's it?"

"That's it."

"That sounds easy!"

"Yeah. _**Sounds**_ easy."

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

 _Damnit. Now I've done it. Might as well be honest with her._

" _ ***sigh***_ Look, Arle. To be honest, I really don't like these kinds of games."

"You don't?"

"Why not, Shigu?" Chu asked.

"Because they scam you out of your money. The games are always rigged to the point where you can never win no matter how hard you try. The mere existence of them just pisses me off."

"Why? Did you get scammed from one?" Klug asked.

"No." I went silent for a bit. "But I know someone who did." I then turned to the person I was talking about.

"D-Did you really had to bring that up, Sig?" And Peruvis looked away with a blushed face almost immediately.

"Peridi, you got scammed?" Chu asked.

…

…

…

"Peruvis…"

" _ ***groan***_ "

"If you won't tell them, then I will."

"F-Fine!" Peruvis finally gave in. "I-It was back when Sig and I were kids. Like…7 or something. We were on a class trip to an amusement park and there was a game similar to this one. It had a prize that I wanted so badly and so I tried desperately to get it. I didn't know that the game was rigged and I…I ended up getting scammed for all my money."

" _No way…_ " Arle and Chu said in shock.

"I couldn't believe such a thing. The fact that there are people that bold enough to scam little kids. Once I realized it was rigged, I begged the guy to return my money. But it was no use. And when I told the teacher about it, all he said was " _Now you know just how cruel this world really is._ "."

" _Whoa…_ " The two said again.

"At first, I thought that a teacher saying that to a student was already cruel enough. But as I got older…I realized that he was right on so many levels."

"Damn…" Was all anyone could say, really.

"Still, though. I can't believe you still remember that, Sig. That was a long time ago."

"I've kept it in memory for such a long time. Mainly for one thing only."

"And that is?" Klug asked.

…

…

…

"It was the first time I've ever seen Peruvis cry. And it was a moment that I hated so much. To the point where I started hating these "games" from every part of my demonic soul. If that makes any sense."

"Sig…" Peruvis went silent after that. Not really knowing what to say or…how to respond to such a secret that I've been keeping from her for so long. I had no intention to tell her, either. But I guess coming here has forced it out of me, didn't it?

"Sorry for not telling you this. Hope it doesn't ruin your time here or any…"

I was then interrupted when Peruvis rushed up and hugged me with such great force. I even felt tears run down her eyes and across my neck. Heavy ones, too.

And then…unexpectedly…she kissed me. Peruvis kissed me. Her lips pressed against mine in a fiery blaze of passion as she didn't hold back for a single second.

And honestly…I didn't want her to.

"You came here…despite hating such a place…just because you want to make me happy?" Peruvis said to me as we stared into each other's faces. " _ ***sniff***_ Damnit, Sig…that's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. You truly are the greatest friend a girl like me could ever have _***sniff***_. It's a no-brainer as to why I fell in love with you."

"Peruvis…I…" I was stopped again when Peruvis kissed me again. This one being shorter than the last. But it was all the same to me.

Especially since…this is the first time I'm actually hearing her true feelings for me right from her own mouth.

 _So, now it's 100% true. Peruvis Ryley loves me greatly._

…

 _And I…And I think I can return her feelings._

" ***clears throat*** "

"Oh…you guys are still here?" Peruvis asked the other three.

" **Of course, we are!** " Klug yelled. "Geez. You might as well be compared to Amitie and Raffina with how you're acting."

"To **THOSE** two? As if! No way in hell would I end up all mushy-gushy and embarrassingly gross like _**those**_ two!"

"Like _**who**_ exactly?"

" **Gah! Amitie! H-How long were you standing there?!** " Peruvis asked once we all turned around to see Amitie, Lidelle, and Ally standing behind us.

"Enough to hear you call my relationship with Raffi "mushy-gushy" and "embarrassingly gross"."

"S-Sorry."

"Well, it is kinda gross." Phoenix said.

" **No one asked you, Phoenix!** " Amitie yelled.

"Come to think of it, where is Raffina?" Arle asked.

" _ ***sigh***_ I don't know. She and I had a small fight and I ditched her a couple of hours ago. I haven't seen her since…"

" **Hey! Ami!** "

"Raffi?"

We then saw Raffina rushing up to us. She looked out of breath. Must've looked all over the place to find her girlfriend and friends.

"Raffi, what happened? Why are you out of breath?"

" _N-Never mind…th-that._ ***clears throat*** Just know that I've got something big planned for when school starts back up. _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_ "

"So, she already forgot about the fight…" Ally said with a sweatdrop.

"That's Raffina for you. Not letting the bad things get to her." Lidelle said. Also with a sweatdrop.

"Um…that's great, Raffi." Amitie seemed to have played along and forgotten this fight of theirs ever happened.

 _I don't get love at all…_

"So. Where's your friend? She finally leave?"

"No, Raffi. She's right…wait. Where did she…"

"Hey…Ami…Ally…I found this really cool-looking drink…I wonder if I could chuck this… _pfft._ "

"Wh-What kind of drink is that?" Ally asked this girl that had walked up to us.

"Hmm…not sure…I think it's…Fruitalicious something…it actually tastes really good… _pfft._ "

"I-I see."

"Uh…Dalida?" I asked.

"Huh… _Woah…_ Sig…Peruvis…nice to see you again… _pfft._ "

"W-Wait. What?" Ally asked.

"How do you two know Dalida?" Amitie asked.

"Well, it depends." Peruvis said. "How do _**you**_ two know Dalida?"

"Well, it's because…"

"Hey, hey. You kids look like you're bored as hell. Come play my game." We were suddenly called out by a guy behind the booth of a different game. It was another shooter game. This time with one of those red and white targets instead of random stuff. There were no toy guns insight and the prizes were all stuffed animals.

"Not interested." I said sternly.

"Wow, Sig. What's with the sour response?" Raffina asked.

"Shigu hates boardwalk games." Chu said. "He says that they cheat you out of your money."

"What? You accusing me, kid?" The guy asked. "Well, I can assure you that **MY** game is completely fair."

"Really now?" I asked. "How do you play?"

"You just gotta knock down this here red target with these tennis balls before your 30-second time limit is up. You do it, you get a prize. Simple enough, right?"

"Yeah. _**Very**_ simple." I didn't believe this guy for a second.

"Oh come on, Sig. Not every game cheats." Amitie said.

"Yeah, I mean…they wouldn't have legitimate prizes in stock of the did." Lidelle added.

"That's how they rope you in. They never intend to give out these prizes."

"So, you're telling me that a middle-aged man would intentionally keep a stuffed kitsune doll, a bear plushie, and…a jelly blob in a jar?"

"What?"

We then saw on the top shelf exactly what Lidelle had described. A weird-looking green jelly blob inside of a jar. It looked rather depressed about being in there, too.

"Hey, wait. That look like one of those rainbow jellies Akuma found during the summer festival." Klug said.

" _No way…_ **It's a Puyo!** "

"A what?" We all looked at a very excited Arle.

"A Puyo! They're these jelly blobs from my world that power up your magic powers when you pop them. I can't believe some of them actually got here, too!"

"Hmm…Hey, Dalida." Amitie said to her. "Is this "Puyo" thing the rumored rainbow jellies you've been looking for?"

"It looks identical to how they're described…maybe it is the one…I gotta get it… _pfft._ "

"A Puyo trapped inside of that jar…we definitely gotta free it!" Arle yelled.

"So, you want this blobby thing, huh?" The guy asked. "Well, you gotta play for it. 100 Credits each."

"What?! Why so expensive?!" Ally asked.

"Seeing as how a lot of you want it, I figured I "raise the stakes" a little. _Hehheh._ "

 _He's up to something…_

"Well, fine. 100 Credits. Hit me up!"

"A-Arle…" I said to her as she slammed 100 Credits onto the booth.

"I'm playing too…let me in… _pfft._ "

"D-Dalida…"

"We'll help you too, Arle! Right, Raffi?" Amitie asked her girlfriend.

"Sure, I guess. This game looks easy enough."

"G-Guys…"

"Just let them do it." Peruvis said as she stood next to me. "They'll just have to learn the hard way."

"Peruvis…" I wanted to say something. But I felt her holding my normal hand tightly. And I couldn't really get anything out because of that.

 _Damn…her hand is so warm._

"Alright, then. The game is on. Good luck, girls. _***snicker***_ "

The game began as the target started moving rapidly back and forth. Each girl started throwing balls at the target as they only had 30 seconds to knock it down. Every throw they made missed the target. As to be expected.

Soon, though, there were only 10 seconds left. And all four of them were scrambling to break the target. By the last 3 seconds, one of the balls had hit the target dead center.

But…

" **YES! I GOT IT! I HIT THE TARGET!** " Arle shouted with glee.

 ***YOU LOSE!***

" **WH-WHAT?!** "

"Sorry, girly. You didn't knock it over." The guy said with a smug on his face.

" **But it hit the target! It should've knocked over because of that!** " Amitie shouted.

"Didn't you learn physics in school, kid? It ain't that simple."

" **That's a load of crap! You clearly scammed us, you asshole!** " Raffina shouted, getting mad rather quickly.

"Says the sore loser. Now scram, you brats! Go cry in the corner like the babies you are! Hahahaha!"

" _ **Why you cocky little…**_ " As Raffina was about to assault this guy for scamming her out of her birthday money, I took out all of my own and slammed it on the counter.

"Hey. I want next round."

" **Sh-Shigu, are you insane?! That's all of your money!** " Chu shouted.

"Yeah, I know." I replied before looking back at the guy. "Hey. I want to make a deal."

"A deal, huh? What did you have in mind?"

"If I lose this rip off of a game, you keep their money plus all of mine."

" **S-SIG!** " Raffina yelled.

" _Ooh_ _._ Sounds interesting. And if _**you**_ win?"

Now, I'm about to make probably the stupidest (and first) bet of my demonic life. And I know some of the others are going to have my ass for this.

But at this point, I don't give a damn.

"If I win…I keep my money, get theirs back, that Puyo whatever over there, and…"

" _And…_ " Everyone asked.

…

…

…

"… **ALL THE MONEY IN YOUR REGISTER!** "

" **WHAT?!** " Everyone shouted.

"You heard me. **Every. Last. Damn. Cent.** "

" _ **Grr…**_ You got guts, kid. A whole lot. But I'm pretty sure most of it is just you being a cocky prick." The guy said.

"Do you accept?" I asked, starting to get impatient.

"Alright! You've got a deal, kid!"

" **Sig, have you lost your mind?!** " Arle asked me.

" **We're going to lose everything if you lose!** " Amitie yelled.

"Then I won't lose."

"H-Huh?"

"Hey, Peruvis. Hold my jacket for me." I said while tossing my jacket at her.

" _ ***giggle***_ Sure thing, Sig."

" _H-Hey. Is he about to do…what I think he's about to do?_ " Klug asked her.

" _Nice of you to catch on, Bro._ "

" _Shigu…_ " Chu said.

" _The guy's a nutcase for doing it…but I can't really blame him._ " Phoenix added.

Once I had set the money down, I had grabbed a single ball and moved back from the booth. I was pretty sure I was far enough for what I was about to do. So, I took a deep breath and prepared to make my throw.

"Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it." The guy said before starting the game.

I smiled as I winded up my left arm. Engulfing the tennis ball in a dark blue energy sphere that was forming from it. Once it was big enough to destroy the target and not anything else…

" **Haidorenjia!** "

 ***BOOM***

…

…

…

"W…Woah…" The girls who played before me, plus Ally and Lidelle, said in shock as I threw the ball at the target and blasted it to smithereens. To the point where its past existence was eradicated.

"What… **WHAT THE HELL?!** " The guy shouted.

"So. That's my money **PLUS** their money **PLUS** the Puyo thing **PLUS** everything in the register, right? I'll just take everything and go now, thank you." I said with a smug look on my face.

" _ **Grr…**_ **damn you, you brat! I'll make you pay for this!** "

"Yeah, whatever. Bye now." I said once I got the stuff wagered and walked off without a care in the world. I was such in a good mood, I forgot that I was with other people at the moment. It just felt _**that**_ good.

"Sig… **WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!** " The same girls (minus Dalida) asked.

"Oh, that? That's a power I learned because of the fact that I'm a demon. No big deal."

"Oh. I see." Arle said.

"That's pretty cool… _pfft._ " Dalida added. They both accepted the answer. But the others...

" **WAIT,** **YOU'RE A DEMON?!** "

"Yeah. And so is Chu."

" **Seriously?!** "

"Well, I'm a half-demon. I'm still growing." Chu answered.

"Did you guys already knew this?" Amitie asked the Ryley siblings and Arle.

"We've known since the day we've met him." Peruvis said.

"And he told me the day we confessed." Arle added.

"S-So, does this mean that you're not a Bored Soul?"

"No. Peruvis made that up to cover for us." I said.

"Woah. I never thought Peruvis would help out like that." Raffina said.

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah. Anything for my childhood friend." Peruvis said as she hugged onto me tightly. It no doubt made the four lesbos suspicious. Since I now know that they were involved in getting Arle and I together.

 _We should probably tell them that we broke up._

"Anyway, here's your money back, Raffina." I said.

"Woah! Thanks, Sig! I really owe you for this!"

"Uh, do you really? I mean, it is your birthday and all."

"You kidding? You got my birthday money back **PLUS** everything in that scammer's wallet! You're a true hero, Sig!"

"You're truly the nicest boy we know!" Amitie said.

"I can…agree to that… _pfft._ " Dalida added.

"Really? Well…thanks, you guys." I was truly touched by those statements.

 ***BINK* *BINK* *BINK***

"Huh?"

 ***BINK***

 ***BINK* *BINK***

"Oh, yeah. This thing." I said while staring at the green jelly blob still in the jar. I then removed the cork and allowed the thing to slide out on its own. Dropping to the floor.

" _ ***sigh***_ Man, am I glad to be out of that jar! It was so freaking hot in there!"

"I-It can…talk?" Amitie asked.

"P-Puyos…don't normally talk." Arle said. "A-At least…not in complete sentences."

"Anyway. Thanks for getting me out of there, Kid. You're a really special one." The blob said to me.

"You're welcome, but…what are you?"

"What? You've never seen a Puyo before? We're all over the place."

"No. First time I'm seeing you. Let alone talking to you."

"Huh?"

"Uh…little Puyo…" Arle spoke.

"Huh? Oh. It's you." The Puyo thing replied as it had turned from green to purple in an instant. And it gained an annoyed look, too. "You're that magical girl who's always using us to gain more power by popping us. What was your name? Arlu?"

"I-It's Arle." Arle gained a sweatdrop.

"Eh. Whatever."

"So, this is a Puyo?" Ally asked. "It looks rather interesting."

"I think it's kinda gross." Raffina said.

" **Well, you're not that good-looking either, kid!** " The Puyo yelled as it had changed from purple to red. Gaining a pissed-off look.

"Oh, snap! _**Burn!**_ "

"Seriously?" I retorted to Peruvis and Phoenix.

" _ **Excuse**_ **me?! What's with this emotional blob, anyway?!** "

"I'm not sure." Arle said. "I've never seen a Puyo that can talk before."

"Well, I'm one of a kind." The Puyo changed to yellow. Its current expression looked like it was smiling. But you couldn't tell because it didn't have a mouth.

 _Wait, how is it talking then?_

"One of a kind?" We asked.

"Yep. I'm the only Puyo in existence that can talk. And not any of that "Puyopuyo~" nonsense. I mean actual English."

"Wow. I actually didn't know that." Arle said.

"It's been kept a secret for many years. Longer than any of you have been alive."

"Woah…"

"Anyway." The Puyo turned to me as it had turned back to its (presumably) original green color. "Thanks again for getting me out of that jar, kid. I really owe you one. Later." It then started hopping away. Jiggling after each bounce.

"Huh? W-Wait! Where are you going?!" Arle yelled.

"Where does it look like I'm going? I'm going back to the other Puyos. They're around here somewhere."

"Actually…no, they're not." Klug said.

"Huh? What do you mean, kid?"

"Soon after those other Puyos appeared for the slinging competition, they just disappeared. They connect themselves together and basically wiped out their entire existence. It was rather bizarre to watch it all."

" _ ***sigh***_ _Those freaking idiots…_ " The Puyo turned purple as it gained a sweatdrop. "Fine. What do you want to do with me?"

"Well, our friend Dalida here has been looking for rainbow jelly blobs like you." Amitie said.

"I want to do experiments to learn everything about you…let's work together, Puyo-chan… _pfft._ " Dalida added.

"Experiments, huh? Well, as long as they're not extreme then I guess I can…wait, what did you just call me?"

"Huh…you mean…Puyo-chan… _pfft._ "

"P-Puyo-chan?!"

"Oh, wow. That's such a cute name, Dalida." Arle said. "Wish I thought of it."

"It really does fit." Lidelle said. "Plus, it is cute."

"Yeah. Really cute, Dalida. Nice one." Amitie said.

"I didn't think you knew how to be cute, Dalida." Ally said.

"Hehhehheh…thanks… _pfft._ "

" **Um, hello?!** " The Puyo yelled as it's now red again. " **Don't I get a say in this?! I'm not going to be referred to as** " **Puyo-chan** " **!** **It sounds girly as hell!** "

"Wait, so…you're male?" Klug asked.

" **Yes, I'm male! I-I think…** "

"You mean, you don't know?"

"Do you have a pingas we can kick you in?" Peruvis asked.

" **H-How's that going to prove anything?!** "

"Well, if you're truly male, then let's just give you a male name." I said. "Like, uh…"

"Shigu." Chu said. "How about Greg?"

" **Greg?! What made you think of that?!** " The Puyo asked.

"Well, you look like a Greg."

" **That makes no damn sense!** "

"Well, then just go with Puyo-chan." Raffina said. "Everyone seemed to like it."

"And just _**why**_ would I do that?" The Puyo turned purple.

"Because it's either Puyo-chan or Greg. Take your pick." I said.

…

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine." The Puyo gave in as it had turned blue. Looking like it had a sad look on itself. "I'll…freaking go with Puyo-chan."

"Yay… _pfft._ " Dalida cheered. I think. She can be just as emotionless as Chu, to some extent. "I'll take good care of you, Puyo-chan… _pfft._ "

"Yeah, yeah. You better not go crazy with these experiments you were talking about earlier. Puyos are sensitive creatures, you know."

"I will… _pfft._ "

 _Well, I guess that's solved…_

 ***NOTIFICATION CHIME***

"Oh. It's Lily. She said that it's time to head back." Raffina said as she looked at her phone.

"Aw, what? But it felt like we just got here." Ally complained.

"Well, that's what happens when you have so much fun." Lidelle said.

"You wanna come with us, Dalida?" Amitie asked. "We're going to have birthday cake later."

"Birthday cake…who's birthday is it… _pfft._ "

"Well, today is Arle's birthday. But in three days it's Raffina's birthday. So, we're basically celebrating them both here."

"Oh…I see…sure, I'll come…wanna come, Puyo-chan… _pfft._ "

"Eh. Sure. Why not? I could use some food, anyway."

"You can eat?" I asked.

"Of course, I can eat. How else am I sitting here talking to you right now?"

"That isn't really because you can eat…" I gained a sweatdrop.

"Oh, yeah. How do we explain to the others that we're bringing a talking blob back with us?" Ally asked.

"Eh. Let Arle think of it." Raffina said. "She's more familiar with it."

"Huh? W-Wait, what? So, I'm going to be left in the dust with explaining?"

"Hey, we had to explain to everyone about you coming out of a mirror a bunch of times. Now, it's your turn."

" _ ***sigh***_ Fine. I get it."

"Don't worry, Arle. I'll help you out." Peruvis said.

"Really? Thanks, Peruvis."

"No problem. Anything for the _**girlfriend**_ of my childhood friend. _***giggle***_ "

 _The two look happy together. They really seem okay with this "just friends" thing._

…

 _But the thing is…I-I'm…not._

* * *

 **Peruvis' POV**

"Thanks again for helping me with explaining Puyo-chan, Peruvis." Arle said to me some hours after we got back to the beach house.

"No problem, Arle. I really wanted to help you out. I kinda…I kinda felt like I owed you after what I did earlier."

"You mean how you kissed Sig?"

"I-I'm sorry. I know we agreed that we wouldn't do that, but…hearing what Sig said…about the games and how he kept that memory of me crying to heart…I just couldn't contain myself. I was so happy…that he still cared about me that much. I truly meant it when I said that it was a no-brainer that I fell in love with him."

"Yeah…I know." Was all Arle said before it all went to silence between the both of us.

I didn't know what to say. Nor did I want to say it. I hoping that we would randomly talk about something else like the stereotypical teen girls we are sometimes.

But then…Arle dropped a bombshell. A huge one that I was nowhere near ready to take.

"Hey, Peruvis…let's call this off."

"Huh? Call what off?"

"You know…this. What we're doing."

…

"W-Wait…Arle…a-are you saying…"

Arle giggled for a bit before holding both of my hands with hers.

And with a small smile on her face, she said:

"Peruvis…you can have Sig. All to yourself."

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **New character #3 and the last one for a good while. Puyo-chan the Puyo. He was going to be featured in a story called "The Sentient Puyo". But as stated in the last endnotes, I started it…and then never went back to it for nearly a year. At this point, I'm just putting scrapped characters from scrapped stories into this one, huh?**

 **By the way, The Tsu Arc of Love of Puyo Puyo is almost done (finally!). Just two more chapters and we'll be going into the Fever Arc. Which, from my memory, needs the least amount of changes. But we'll see once we get there.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	66. Love's Sweet Memories

**Chapter 66 – Love's Sweet Memories**

 **Peruvis' POV**

" **WHAT?! YOU AND SIG BROKE UP?!** "

"Yep."

"Pretty much."

It was the next day and we were all on the train heading back home. It took a couple of hours to get to that beach. So, it's probably going to take the same amount of time to get back.

So, the six of us girls started talking with each other about whatever came to mind. In this case, the events that happened during the trip.

It was then that Arle and I decided to be honest with the four girls who had gotten Arle and Sig together in the first place. And tell them that they were no longer dating.

Their reaction was just as we predicted.

"N-No way! You were only together for a few days! What made you break up?!" Amitie asked.

"Well…it just wasn't working out." Arle said.

"Not working out?!" Raffina asked. "But don't you love Sig, Arle?!"

"Yeah. I do. But…we didn't really "click" you know?"

"Click?"

"Well, for starters, you're the ones that forced them to realize that they had feelings for each other." I said.

"That's because it was completely obvious!" Ally yelled.

"And don't go blaming us, Peruvis! You were a part of it, too" Raffina added.

"Even then. We would've been fine with just being friends." Arle said.

"Unbelievable…" Lidelle said. "…So, our efforts were all for nothing."

" _Well…_ I wouldn't say "nothing"." I said. "Your nosiness did make someone happy in the end."

"Huh?" The lesbo girls were confused. And I honestly couldn't hold in my laughter as I kept staring at them all.

"I'll just get to the point. Sig and I are now a couple."

" **What?!** "

" **Y-You and Sig?!** " Raffina asked.

" **B-But it's always NEVER the childhood friend who wins!** " Ally yelled.

" **I-Is this true?!** " Amitie asked.

"Yep. It's all true." Arle said. "You can even ask Sig yourself..."

" _Zzz…_ "

" _Zzz…_ "

We all looked beside us to see the Duranné siblings sleeping together. The older one sleeping with his eyes open as usual.

" _Ugh._ How does he keep doing that?" Arle asked in discomfort.

"Sig. Hey, Sig. Wake up." I said while nudging his shoulder.

"H-Huh? Wh-What?"

"Quick question. You and I are dating, right?"

"Uh…yeah. You woke me up for that?"

"Well, they needed a second person to confirm it all."

" _ ***sigh***_ Whatever." Sig then tried going back to sleep. But couldn't because he was now wide awake. Plus there was the fact that everyone was staring at him.

Which started this topic change:

"You know that it's creepy when you sleep with your eyes open?" Arle asked.

"What? I don't sleep with my eyes open."

"Yeah, you do. We noticed it when we ate ice cream at Lemres' shop."

"It's super creepy. Especially since you have a red eye and a blue eye." Amitie said.

"D-Do I really sleep with my eyes open?" Sig asked me.

"Not all the time, but when you do it's creepy as hell. Chu tells me that she sometimes gets hesitant to wake you up in the morning."

" _Aw, geez…_ " Sig started covering his face from embarrassment.

"Lighten up, Sig. Everyone has embarrassing things about them." Raffina said.

"Yeah, it's true." Ally added. "Like how Ami still wears animal print underwear."

" **A-ALLY!** " Amitie yelled with a huge blush on her face.

 _Well, damn. Who would've thought…_

"I didn't need to know that…" Sig gained a sweatdrop.

"Well, it was just an example."

"How does that relate to me sleeping with my eyes open?"

"Well, in a way… **GAH!** "

" _ **Shut the hell up, Ally!**_ " Amitie shouted while twisting Ally's left ear.

" **Okay, okay! I give! Uncle! Uncle! Just let me go!** "

Amitie did let go of Ally's ear and she was rubbing it with one of the ice cubes from her drink.

"So, any other examples…that don't involve underwear?" Sig asked.

"Well…there was a time where Ally had a huge crush on me."

" **A-AMI!** " Ally shouted.

"Wait, really?" Sig and I were shocked.

"I know, right? I couldn't believe it myself when I first heard it." Arle said.

"Yep. Back when we were little, she would cling on to me and say " _ **Let's fall in love!**_ " every day."

"W-Wow." Was all we could say.

" **B-But I'm completely over it now! All of my love is for Lidelle and Lidelle only!** " Ally yelled.

" _Aw!_ That's so sweet, Ally." Lidelle said as she kissed her girlfriend and cuddled her like a teddy bear.

"So, does that help, Sig?" Amitie asked.

"I guess."

 ***RINGTONE CHIME***

"Hey, Sig. Who's this Toule girl?" Ally asked as she lunged forward to see Sig's phone.

"Toule? Isn't that your cousin?" I asked.

"Yep." Sig then answered his phone and placed it on speaker. Knowing his cousin, I can easily see why he did so. "Hello?"

" _Hey hey, Sig! How's it going my titillating hunk of a cousin you?_ "

" **Wh-What?!** " The other girls yelled in complete shock.

 _So, she's still doing that, huh? Toule hasn't changed at all, either…_

"Toule, knock it off. I have you on speaker."

" _Oh, do you now? Do these people have disgusted looks on their faces?_ "

"Yeah. They're _**very**_ disgusted."

" _Then my mission's complete!_ _ ***giggle***_ "

Sig did a huge facepalm as he sighed in annoyance at his older cousin. And like I said before, I can easily see why.

"So, do you need anything?"

" _Ah, nothing much. Just calling to see when you're coming over._ "

 _Coming over? Where's Sig going?_

"Well, I'm on the train back to Primp. I can probably buy transfer tickets once we get to the station."

" _Ooh~. So, your sexy ass is coming today, huh? Well, I can't wait to caress my hand all over your handsome hunky face._ _ ***growl***_ "

"Stop that." Was all Sig said as the other girl were even more disgusted with this conversation.

"I'm gonna go take this somewhere else. Watch Chu for me." Sig said before leaving the area. Leaving me to explain what just happened and who the hell was he talking to.

"That was their older cousin Toule Rokudo. She often jokes about being in an incestuous relationship with Sig. It's rather weird."

"W-Wait…what?" Raffina asked.

"She **jokes** about incest?" Ally asked.

"Her sense of humor is one most people don't understand." I gained a sweatdrop.

"Sig must have…a _**really**_ interesting family, huh?" Arle asked.

"Well…kinda."

 _I say that because Chu and Toule are the only family he got._

It was around this time that Sig came back. Finishing his conversation with Toule. I can tell because he has a rather annoyed look on his face.

 _That girl probably ended the call with another incest joke…_

"Sorry about my cousin. She just needs help with something. So, Chu and I are heading over to visit her today."

"She lives in Konoko, right?" Amitie asked. "Man, I can't believe that you and Peruvis are from Konoko too, Sig. How come we never met before?"

"Different schools, I guess? I was shocked too when you told me that you, Ally, and Rafisol were from there. Must be a small world."

"Considering that you both knew Dalida, I can easily believe that." Ally said.

" _ ***moan***_ _Ugh…Are we home yet?_ " Chu asked as she woke up from her nap.

"Not yet, Chu." Sig said. "But once we get there, we're heading over to see Toule."

"We're seeing Soulé? Yay! I missed seeing her!"

"So, I'm guessing Soulé is…" Arle asked.

"How she remembers Toule's name. She's completely fine with it, though. "

"I see."

"Well, good for you, Chu." I said. "But now this means that I won't be around for your birthday."

"Birthday?" Everyone asked.

"Chu's birthday is on August 29th. She's turning 11."

"Great. Now, we're gonna go to the same high school as an 11-year-old." Raffina said with a little discouragement.

"Well…at least we're already friends with her." Amitie said with a sweatdrop.

 _They're probably still baffled and upset that an 11-year-old is smarter than them. I don't blame them._

"Anyway…" Arle said. "Since you won't be here to celebrate it…"

" **HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHU!** " Everyone cheered.

"Thanks, everyone." Chu said with a smile.

* * *

 **Arle's POV**

During said hour-long left trip back home, Sig and Chu went back to sleep. So, the rest of us went to check up on the others. Feli, Ringo, and Rafisol were sitting together at a table a few feet from ours. The three of them have become rather good friends while at the beach house and the boardwalk. And now they look like they've known each other since childhood.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" Amitie asked.

"Oh, hey." Ringo said. "We weren't doing much, just talking."

"About what?"

"Well, Feli's being teaching us everything about charms and hexes."

" _Feli…_ " Raffina got a little annoyed.

"What? I'm not casting them or anything. I'm just showing them." Feli said, in her defense.

" _It's fine, Onee-chan. Nothing to worry about._ " Rafisol added.

"Sis, what do you even plan to do with charms and hexes?" Ally asked.

…

…

…

" _I dunno._ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Just don't mix them up with your normal spells, okay? We don't know what will happen if they do."

" _Okay, Onee-chan._ "

"Here's your Triple Chocolate Chip Pancakes w/ extra maple syrup, Miss." One of the servers said as she placed a really huge plate of pancakes in front of Rafisol.

" _Thank you, Ma'am._ "

"S-Sis, what the hell is that?!"

" _Brunch._ "

"But we ate breakfast before we left!"

" _But I'm still hungry, Onee-chan!_ "

"Looking at it now, maybe I am, too…"

"Lidelle…you're drooling." Raffina said to her.

Without much hesitation, Rafisol started eating the massive stack of syrup-soaked pancakes. She looked so calm while eating it. Compared to Lidelle, who would've devoured the whole thing in two or three bites.

 _I'm still a bit traumatized from her eating that burger…_

"G-Geez, Rafisol. Are you really planning on eating all of that?" Feli asked.

" _Yeah, why?_ "

"Isn't this a bit much?" Ringo asked.

" _Not really._ "

"I think Rafisol's got a bigger black hole for a stomach than you, Lidelle." Amitie said.

"What? No way! That's a special trait of mine that I want to protect!"

 _Why would you want to protect_ _ **THAT**_ _title of all things?_

" _Mmm…yummy._ " Rafisol said as she was nearly done with the monstrosity.

"H-How are you almost done?! It's hasn't even been a minute!" Peruvis yelled.

"Soulless or not, that's actually terrifying." Phoenix added.

"Well geez, Sis. If it's that good, then let me get a bite." Ally said as she sat next to her twin sister. She then took a bit of the pancake stack and her eyes widen big like she was blinded or something.

"Well?" Amitie asked.

" _Oh, my God…_ **THESE ARE SO DAMN GOOD!** "

"Really?" Lidelle asked.

"I'm like _**so**_ for real! These might be better than that Double Mocha Ice Cream Sundae you like so much!"

"Okay, now you're just bluffing! There's no way that's true!"

"Try it for yourself! You don't mind, right Sis?"

" _Go ahead and try it, Lidelle._ " Rafisol said.

Lidelle sat next to Ally and took a bite of the chocolate pancakes. Like her girlfriend, her eyes widen big when she eventually swallowed the thing.

" _Oh, my God…_ " She said.

"Right? Better than the Double Mocha Ice Cream Sundae, right?" Ally asked.

"No, I'm not going to admit that. But these Triple Chocolate Chip Pancakes w/ extra maple syrup are **delicious!** "

" _You guys want some?_ " Rafisol asked.

"N-No. W-We're good." The rest of us said.

Rafisol then continued to eat the rest of the pancakes with Ally and Lidelle while the rest of us watched.

 _I don't understand. How can one person, let alone three, have_ _ **THIS**_ _big of an appetite?_

 ***30 SECONDS LATER…***

" _Ah~._ That was _**so**_ delicious." Ally said.

"Probably my best memory of this trip." Lidelle said.

"Yeah, mine too. Thanks for the food, Sis."

" _You're welcome, Onee-chan._ " Rafisol said.

"Unbelievable." The rest of us said.

" _ ***Burp***_ " All three girls burped.

"And disgusting."

"You guys missed out big time." Ally said with a huge grin on her face.

"A-Anyway…Lidelle, I should tell you that I'm going back to Suzuran today." Ringo said.

"Huh? Really?" Lidelle said.

"Yeah, I have to go back so I can get ready for the new school year."

"Oh, yeah. Once we get back, we'll have a few more weeks of summer break left."

It was at that moment when the rest of us realized the same exact thing.

"W-Woah…in just a few weeks, we'll all be high school students." Raffina said.

"Holy crap. Is this real?" Peruvis asked.

"Yeah. It's so real." Lidelle said.

"It's really happening." Ally said.

"Woah…high school. That's a huge milestone." Feli said.

"High school…I finally get to experience what that's like." I said.

"We all do, Arle." Amitie said.

"So, you girls finally realized it?" Lily asked as she and Melody walked up to us.

"Ha. Took ya long enough, Ami." Melody added.

"Okay, Mom. I get it. You win."

"Glad to see that you're just as forgetful as your girlfriend, Miss Raffina." Lily said.

" **L-Lily!** " Raffina shouted in embarrassment.

"Hey, Melody. I've been meaning to ask you this…What was your time like in high school?" Ringo asked.

"You're asking Melody-senpai?" Lily asked.

"Hey! Like your time was even better!" Melody sounded insulted.

"I'm not saying it was better, it's just you barely did anything school-related."

"I did too! It just took me awhile! What with me being French and all."

"Don't use being foreign as an excuse…" Lily gained a sweatdrop.

"Anyway. To answer your question, Ringo, my time was an amazing and fun experience. They say high school is the best three years of your life, and it was true for me… _except that one day. In which I don't want to talk about._ " Melody whispered that last part.

"Huh? Talk about what?" I asked.

" **N-NOTHING! N-N-NOTHING AT ALL!** "

 _I could've sworn she said something else…_

"A-Anyway…with me being from France, it took me a while to learn any English. Luckily Harmony had a translator with her."

"Ms. Accord knew French?" Ally asked.

"No, but Popoi did. For some reason."

"I see."

"So, that's how you two met, huh?" Lidelle asked.

"Yeah…but to be honest, she wanted nothing to do with me…or anyone else for that matter. She was so shy and timid…the only person she ever talked to besides the teachers was Popoi. I thought it was funny, I stuck around. And we eventually became best friends."

"So, you basically kept bugging her until she eventually gave in?" Feli asked.

"Wow, that sounds **EXACTLY** like something you would do, Mom." Amitie said.

"Oh, whatever."

"So, did you two meet Lily?" Raffina asked.

"Well, it was a year later when Harmony and I were second-years. We found this abandoned clubroom in the school and we would hang-out there to do whatever. But one day, we got caught. And the only way we could keep using it was by starting a club. So, that we did."

"What club was that?" I asked.

Melody and Lily then looked at each other, with the former having a smile on her face and the latter an exasperated look. Then they turned back to us.

"It was called the "What?! Aw, Hell No! Hold Up! Huh?! Oh, Okay." Club." They both said together.

…

…

…

"What the hell?" Most of us said. Dumbfounded by what we just heard.

"From what Harmony-senpai told me, it was Melody-senpai that came up with the name." Lily said with a sweatdrop.

"Best. Name. **EVER!** " Ally and Peruvis cheered.

"I know, right?! It was the most creative thing I ever thought at the time!" Melody praised herself.

" _My, God. You three are something else…_ " Raffina said with a facepalm.

"You seriously called your club that?" Feli asked.

"Well, no." Melody said. "That's what we **_wanted_** to call it…but the student council shot it down almost immediately."

" _I don't blame them…_ " Amitie mumbled to herself.

"We eventually changed it to the Unofficial Club." Lily added.

"The Unofficial Club?" We asked.

"It was a club that didn't behave like the others. We did what we wanted when we wanted."

"It was our way of telling the student council to suck it!" Melody added.

"I hope you didn't actually tell people to suck it, Mom." Amitie said.

" _Well…_ " Melody looked away from her daughter.

"To answer your question, Miss Amitie, she did."

"Gee, thanks for ratting me out, Lily."

"You're welcome, Melody-senpai." Lily giggled.

 ***BUZZZ***

 ***NEXT STOP, PRIMP TOWN. PRIMP TOWN, NEXT STOP.***

"Hey, We're here." Ally said.

"Well, that kept us busy for a while." Raffina said.

"I'll go wake up Sig and Chu." I said.

"U-Uh hey, Arle. I'll come with you." Peruvis said.

"Huh? Oh, okay then."

 _I wonder what's up. She sounded jumpy for a second there._

"We'll meet you guys at the exit." Amitie said.

"Fine with us." We both agreed.

* * *

We left the other girls and were heading back to where Sig and Chu were. We were only near inches to them when I felt my hand being grabbed.

"H-Hey, Arle. A-Are you…A-Are you _**really**_ sure about this? Breaking off this deal you made and letting me have Sig to myself?"

 _Oh, I see. She wanted to talk about that…_

"Look, Peruvis. I meant what I said earlier. You and Sig are perfect for each other. Just accept it."

"Accept it? But you love Sig too, don't you?"

"Well…" I went silent for a bit. "…Yes, I do love him. But honestly…I want to rid these feelings."

"Rid…the feelings?"

"Ever since the day I came to this world, I've always had this void of loneliness inside my heart. At that point in time, I was scared, depressed…and at one point suicidal. All of my friends were, as I thought, still in my homeworld. And my best friend was killed as we were being forcefully transported to this world. It's a safe bet to say that I was a mess for a good while."

"W-Wow. Arle, I had no idea."

"Yeah…it didn't get brought up much. For obvious reasons."

"R-Right."

"But things did get better. I met Amitie and Raffina and Lidelle and Ally.

And I had this Rubelcrack Necklace made to remember Carby by. And then found out that Schezo, Harpy, Rulue, Draco, Witch, and Seriri ended up here through the same means as I did. Plus, there's Zoh showing up here. And I'm actually a little glad that Satan's here. Even though he can be a pain in the ass at times."

"Is he seriously Lidelle's brother? The two are like polar opposites."

"It took me a while to believe it, myself. But they're related."

"I see…"

"Anyway…even though I had all of that with me, I still felt lonely inside. My heart was still heavy from the sudden change my life had taken. And I had no idea how to fully fix it. That is until…"

"That's when you met Sig, huh?"

" _ ***sigh***_ Yep. That spacey knucklehead of a bug lover."

" _ ***giggle***_ That's a good way to describe that boy." Peruvis gained a small smile. Which, in turn, made me form one of my own.

"I'll admit. He was a bit weird. And a bit of a jerk. He made fun of me because I thought a butterfly was talking to me."

" _ ***snicker***_ "

"Shut up!"

"Okay, okay. Sorry."

"But after spending that day with him, I grew to like him more. And then as I met Chu and found out what truly happened with their past…not to mention how he was so friendly towards me. Even when I told him how I came from a different world. I eventually started believing that I had finally rid my heart of the void of loneliness that I've had for a week or two at that moment in time. I finally felt…that I could move on with my new and unexpected life. That I could finally be happy."

"W-Wow…" Peruvis was in shock that this kind of stuff was coming out of my mouth. And to be honest, I was too. I never knew that I could be so freaking emotional.

 _I really have changed…_

"I was truly grateful to have Sig as a friend. And I still am today. But then you girls believed that it was love at first sight and got the two of us together as a couple."

"L-Look, I never wanted to be a part of that." Peruvis started to blush. "B-But at the same time…I-I was too scared to actually go against it."

"Yeah. I know. I truly am grateful for you getting us together even though you were highly against it."

"I-I wasn't **HIGHLY** against it! I wanted Sig to be happy! And if that meant him being with you, then…then I was willing to give up my own happiness. Because Sig's my best friend. And I would do anything to make him happy. No matter what."

"No matter what?"

" **Gah! S-Sig!** " Peruvis yelled in a panic as we saw Sig standing across from us.

"H-How much did you hear?" I asked.

"Not much. Mainly the end." Sig then walked over to Peruvis. "Is it really true, Peruvis? You gave up your happiness to help mine?"

"W-Well…y-yeah, I did. B-But I didn't do it just because. You're my best friend. You've been there for me ever since the very damn beginning. Putting up with my perverted nonsense and…horrible past."

 _Horrible past? What does she mean by that?_

"You even put up with me deciding to leave school and go on tour with the band…which, in all honestly, was the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life. I put my own happiness over yours and it stunned like hell. Hearing what you went through and all. I regretted every single moment of not being with you."

Peruvis went silent for a good while. And I was able to see her hear up in her eyes. Her finally letting out her true feelings to the one person she's known since day 1 was starting to get to her.

And it doesn't take a freaking genius to figure out why.

" _ ***sniff***_ _A-And so…A-And so, I came back. I-I_ _ ***sniff***_ _I-I came back to be with you once more, Sig. T-To never leave your side ever again. To never put my dreams and happiness before yours._ _ ***sniff***_ _A-And to…A-And to finally tell you…th-that…th-that…_ "

 _Come on, Peruvis! You can do it!_

" _Th-That I…_ _ ***sniff***_ _…_ **Th-That I love you, Sig Duranné! I love you with all my devil & tortured soul heart! And I never want to leave you ever again!**" It was at that moment that Peruvis had finally broken down. Releasing heavy tears as the burden in her heart…the self-minded goal of making Sig happy, no matter what the cost to her own life…was finally gone.

Sig, on the other hand, wasn't all that emotional (as to be expected). All he did really was wrap Peruvis in a hug and held her tight as she continued to cry.

It may look like nothing. and I honestly thought that for a few seconds, too.

But then…Sig said:

"Peruvis…I love you, too. And now, it's my turn to make you happy. You deserve it."

" _S-S-Sig…_ _ ***sniff***_ _…Waaaaah!_ " Hearing that only made Peruvis cry even more. And so, I decided to leave the couple alone for a bit and join up with the others.

"Geez. There you are, Arle. What took you so long?" Amitie asked.

"Sorry, guys. There was something I had to take care of real quick."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ally asked. "And where's Peruvis?"

"Don't tell me she ran off again…" Raffina said.

"Oh, no. She's still here." I went silent for a bit. "And I think she's finally happy, too."

The four girls were extremely confused as my smile grew even more. Happy enough that I helped two special friends realize their love for each other.

 _And I couldn't have it any other way, to be completely honest._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **So, yeah. After many chapters and thinking it over a little, I'm going to stick with Sig X Peruvis for this story. I've paired the two up for so long at this point that making them a couple makes a lot of sense in my eyes.**

 **Because of this, I'm not really sure what to do with Arle. Keep her single or find her a new person to love. I guess I'll figure something out in the future.**

 **So, I said that there were two more chapters until the Tsu Arc ends. But now, including this one, I think it's going to be three. I kinda forgot just how long these two chapters were. Like…6k-7k words for both. They need some serious trimming.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


	67. Revenge of the Red Puyo Hat (Part 1)

**Chapter 67 – Revenge of the Red Puyo Hat (Part 1)**

 **Ally's POV**

After we got off the train, Sig went to go purchase two train tickets for him and Chu to go to Konoko. The next one was leaving in 15 minutes. So, they decided to stay behind. Ringo's train back to Suzuran was leaving around the same time. So, she's staying with them too. We each said our goodbyes and left the train station to go to each of our homes.

But from the looks of it. Peruvis had a harder time saying goodbye to Sig than the rest of us. Her eyes were red and puffy and she was nearly out of breath.

 _I mean, I guess I can understand. You just got together with the person you love and they're already going away for a few days. It does suck._

…

 _But…I wouldn't cry_ _ **THAT**_ _much about it._

Meanwhile, Arle looked rather calm for someone who got dumped for another girl. It was still mind-boggling to us as to how she's this okay about Sig and Peruvis being together. It's almost like they were never together in the first place. I just don't get it.

"H-Hey, Arle. Are you _**really**_ okay?" I asked her.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why ask such a question?"

"You know. Because you just had your first break up ever. Aren't you upset?"

"Hmm…not really. Should I be?"

"Uh, **YES!** " Ami and I yelled.

"Arle, you're being way too calm about this. Experiencing a break up is a real traumatic event for most people."

"We're just worried about you, Arle. That's all." Ami added.

"Worried, huh?" Arle then went silent as she held her head down in what looked like sadness. "L-Look…If I tell you guys, you better keep it a secret. I don't want many people to know about this."

Ami and I looked at each other with looks of pure shock. We didn't think Arle would give in this easily. Basing on the fact that Ami had to literally slap some sense into her the last time she tried to keep her feelings to herself.

I'm glad we didn't have to go that route again. But I feel like this is going to be one emotional confession.

"Look, it's true that I still love Sig. And I would've stayed with him too with all my heart."

…

"If…If it felt right."

"If it felt right?" We asked.

"Arle, do you mean…" I asked.

"Yeah. When I found out that Peruvis had loved Sig from the very beginning. And had been fighting it every day since…even so much as to help him and I get together…it didn't feel right. It didn't feel right to know that one person would forever suffer from a shattered heart while mine was all in perfect harmony. I didn't want me to be the wedge between two people who have known each other for…pretty much their entire lives. I would honestly…I would honestly feel like a friend-stealing bitch if just ignored the emotional pain Peruvis was going through."

"Woah…" Was all we said.

 _That's gotta be the first time I've ever heard Arle curse. It's rather mind-blowing._

"So, I decided to make a deal with Peruvis. A deal in which we both shared Sig so that neither one of us would get heartbroken and felt like we lost."

"You mean friends with benefits?"

" **Mom!** " Ami yelled at Melody.

"What? That's basically what it is. Especially since it was a threesome. One more girl then it would've been a rather interesting harem. A nice idea for a new story."

"M-Melody…" Arle gained a sweatdrop.

"Melody, as much as you're right about all this…"

"She _**ISN'T**_ right." Ami said. But I tuned her out.

"…This is a rather serious moment. So, can you ease up with the remarks for now please?"

"Alright, alright. Hey, Rafisol. Help me pick out a radio station. This one sucks."

" _Okay, Melody._ " Rafisol said.

"Anyway…" Arle continued. "…So we made that deal. But after a full day of trying to make that work, I knew that it wouldn't. And thinking about it now, I was just trying to make everything all goody-goody while still being selfish about my feelings. So, I…I called it off. And told Peruvis that she should finally confess her love for Sig. To which, reluctantly, she agreed."

"Woah…so, that's what happened between you three." I said.

"Now I feel really bad for forcing Peruvis to help us earlier." Ami added. "If would've known, then…"

"That's the thing, Amitie. Nobody knew. According to Phoenix, she never had any intention to confess. She was going to keep these feelings a secret forever if Phoenix and Klug didn't plot to do it themselves."

"I see…" We both gained a sweatdrop.

 _So, that's why Peruvis was so adamant on beating the crap out of Klug that night…_

"Hey, Ally." Ami said to me. "We really need to apologize to Peruvis once we get the chance."

"I totally agree, Ami. And we should let Raffina and Lidelle on it, too."

"Just don't tell so many people about what I said." Arle said. "It'll only make it worse for her."

"Right."

"Patrones on the rocks and I'm ready for some…"

" _Shots._ "

"The women come around every time I'm pourin'…"

" _Shots._ "

"Their panties hit the ground every time I give em…"

" _Shots._ "

"So cups in the air, everybody lets take…"

" _Shots._ "

" **I'm f**ked up!** "

" **MOM!** "

"What, Ami? you're killing the mood."

" **You killed the mood a long ass time ago with that dirty song!** "

"Hmph. So, it looks like _**someone**_ still has a bit of their innocence left. What a letdown…"

"You know, I freaking hate you sometimes." Ami gained an irritated sweatdrop.

"Sis, why were you singing that song?" I asked her.

" _It was catchy._ "

"I see…"

" _By the way…what does it mean to Party Rock?_ "

"Uh…I-It's an adult thing, Sis."

" _Adult thing? So, do you know, Melody?_ "

"She probably does." Ami said. "But she doesn't really count as an adult. Hell, I'm more of an adult than she is."

"Says the "adult" that still wears animal-print underwear." Melody retorted.

" **Wh-Why does everyone keep bringing that up?!** "

"So, uh…what was that song?" Arle asked.

" _Long story short, it's a song about drinking a bunch of alcohol._ " I whispered to her so that Rafisol wouldn't hear.

" _I see…_ " Was all Arle said. "So, anyway. What was it like living in this Konoko Valley place? You all used to live there, right?"

"Sure did." Ami said. "We were close neighbors and everything."

"Ami and Melody lived a few houses down from where Sis and I lived. Don't you remember, Sis?" I asked Rafisol.

" _Remember what?_ "

"That we used to live in Konoko Valley."

" _Konoko Valley? We used to live there?_ "

"Y-Yeah, Sis. We did." I gained a sweatdrop. "Remember? It was us, Mom, Dad, and Chupei."

…

" _Oh, yeah. I remember. That was the name of it?_ "

"Y-Yes, Sis. Th-That was the name of it." My sweatdrop only grew from there.

" _Oh._ " This was basically all my twin sister had said before going back to looking at the window. As if our conversation never happened.

 _I think I now understand why Mom thought it was a good idea to have Rafisol live with us…_

"What was you guy's life like there?" Arle asked.

"Well, Sis and I lived with our parents while Ami lived with hers. We had a cat named Chupei, but…she died due to an incurable illness."

"O-Oh. I-I'm sorry to hear that." Arle probably felt bad for causally asking that question.

"Yeah, it sucks. But there was nothing we could do to save her. So, we made her final moments extra special."

" _Rest in peace, Chupei. Rest in peace._ " Sis said as she started to cry. I then held her tight as she let some of her tears out on me.

" _Onee-chan…I miss Chupei._ "

"I do too, Sis. I do too." I tried to hold in my own, but a few did slip out.

"I'm sure Chupei's even happier where she is now, Rafisol. And is looking after you from there." Ami said.

" _ ***sniff***_ _Thank you, Ami._ "

"So, what about your parents? What were they like?" Arle asked.

"A year or two after we were born, our parents got a divorce. Turns out they were best friends at first. So when it was finalized, they went back to being just that. Both still took care of us, just at different times and places."

"I see." Arle then went silent while looking away from us. I can tell from her tensed aura that she wanted to ask a very specific question. One geared towards Ami and Melody, no doubt.

"It's okay, Arle. I know you want to ask." Ami said. I guess she knew as well.

"R-Really, Amitie? I-Is it really okay?"

"Yeah, it is. And…I'll tell you everything."

"H-Hey, do you really want to do that?" Melody asked.

"It's fine, Mom. We already told her about the Puyo Hats. It makes sense to tell her what started that mess in the first place."

"Well…if you say so, Ami."

Ami took a huge deep breath before remembering all the stuff that happened back in Konoko. I noticed her forming tears in her eyes. But before I could say anything, she wiped them away and started explaining.

"Back home…Mom and Dad were always fighting about something. It first started when I was around 14-years-old. I had no idea what they were fighting about. But unlike most girls at that age, I was a huge daddy's girl. I loved him so much, some might say I loved him more than I did Mom.

But then…something inside him changed. He wasn't the dad I remembered. He became more violent towards Mom. Beating her up and leaving her all bloody. He even started yelling and cursing at us and I had no idea why. But then one day…he started attacking me too. Beating me up with his hands and throwing sharp glass shards at me. Every day for the past year, my dad would beat us non-stop. The bruises he would leave on us were getting more and more noticeable by our friends, and word eventually got out about the assaults.

My dad found out about this, and he got angry. More like, angrier than he usually did. The beatings got worse that night, down to the point where I lost consciousness and have multiple injuries. External and internal. He got arrested that night, and a little while after that, we fled here to Primp."

"Last I heard, he's doing life in prison. I hope that bastard dies a slow and painful death!" I added. Thinking of the guy who nearly killed my best friend and her mom made me boil with rage. But I eventually calmed down, for Rafisol's sake.

"W-Wow. A-Amitie…I'm sorry that happened to you guys." Arle said.

"Thanks, Arle. But now, all of that…is starting tie in with the Red Puyo Hat."

"Right. The Red Puyo Hat. Did anyone say anything about it? Like if they found it or not?"

"No. Not a word." Ami sighed.

"Hey, Arle. You think Zoh might have more info on it? Stuff that could help us catch it?" I asked her.

"Not sure. I forgot to ask. Hopefully, we can meet up with him again soon."

"Huh? Who's Zoh?" Ami asked.

"The big elephant guy we told you guys about." I explained. "We found him at the beach."

"Oh, yeah..."

Then Ami's phone started ringing and she went ahead to answer it. When she did, she jumped a little from the person shouting in her ear. She then placed the call on speaker.

" _ **AMIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!**_ "

" **Y-Yu?! C-Calm down! You almost blew my ear out!** " Ami yelled.

" _Sorry! But we really need you to come to the museum!_ "

"Huh? You mean now? We just got back from the beach and we're tired."

" _B-But it's really important!_ "

"How important? It isn't extra work, is it?"

" _No! It's the Red Puyo Hat!_ "

" **TH-THE RED PUYO HAT?!** " Ami, Arle, and I shouted.

" _It showed up just recently and tried to destroy the other hats! We fought it off, but then it escaped again!_ "

" **I-It came back?!** " Arle shouted.

" **To destroy the other hats?!** " I shouted.

" **Yu! Tell Akuma we'll be right there!** " Ami said.

" _Please be careful, Ami!_ "

" _Don't die._ " We could hear Rei say to us.

" _Meow._ "

" _Kat said don't die._ " Rei said to us again.

"Th-Thanks, Rei…" Ami said as she, and us two, each gained a sweatdrop before she hung up the phone.

"Mom, can you take us to the museum?" Ami said to Melody.

"S-Sure, sweetie. W-We'll be there in a few minutes." Melody stuttered. Which was odd to us, because she normally doesn't stutter.

"Hey, Melody. You okay?" I asked.

"Y-Yep. N-Never better, Ally."

"But you're stuttering your words and even shaking a bit." Arle said.

" _Are you sick, Melody?_ " Rafisol asked.

"N-No. I-I'm fine, girls. L-Let's just get to the museum."

We didn't really ask Melody any more questions after that. Her behavior was just…off, for me. I started noticing right around the phone call with Yu.

This was always a thought in the back of my mind, but I'm starting to think that Melody knows more about the Red Puyo Hat than we think. But what exactly is it and why she's hiding it from her daughter is what I don't know.

 _But I'm going to find out! If it will save my best friend's life!_

* * *

Once we got to the museum, we went over to Akuma's office where we found him, Yu, and Rei (& Kat) inside. The office was a mess. Books and papers all over the floor along with shards of glass from the windows. The only thing that was intact were the cases that held the Blue and Purple Puyo Hats. It was good to know that the Red one wasn't strong enough to break them. But also a scary thought that it tried to destroy them.

"Woah…look at this place." Arle said.

"It looks like something exploded in here." I added.

"The Red Puyo Hat did all this?" Ami asked.

"I'm afraid so, **KUMA!** It was a powerful foe, but we managed to protect the other Puyo Hats, **KUMA!** " Akuma explained.

"It was insane." Yu said. "That much power inside just a simple beanie…it was so unreal."

"Meow."

"Kat was scared." Rei said.

"We're sorry we weren't here to help defend them." Ami said.

"It's okay, Amitie. In fact, it may have been for the best that you were not here, **KUMA!** "

"Really?"

"What makes you say that, Akuma?" I asked.

"Because, no doubt about it…the reason why it came back to destroy the other hats was to make it easier for it to kill Amitie, **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** "

" **K-K-KILL** **ME?!** " Ami shouted before nearly fainting from fear. I managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Th-Thanks, Ally."

"No problem, Ami." I said.

"But…I just don't get it. Why does that hat want to kill Amitie so much? And why did it go to such great lengths by even attempting to destroy the other two hats?" Arle asked.

"Perhaps I can answer that."

We heard a deep male voice come from behind us. We turned around to see Ami's old classmate Tarutaru coming inside the room.

"Tarutaru. So glad you could join us, **KUMA!** " Akuma greeted him.

"Looks like I was too late, though. The damage here looks horrible."

"It's fine. No one got injured and the two hats are safe, **KUMA!** "

"Well, that's good, at least."

"Hey, Tarutaru. You know the reason why the Red Puyo Hat is after me?" Ami asked with some fear still inside her.

"I may, but it might not be accurate."

"Please. Anything would help at this point." I begged.

"Well, okay." Tarutaru cleared his throat before he continued. "Because of my knowledge of the Blue Puyo Hat, I'm able to know the secrets of the other four. With these secrets, I've researched their history. How they become to be and any known way to control their powers. I managed to find some information about them."

"Like what?" Yu asked.

"As some of you know, the Blue Puyo Hat reveals the dark future of the wearer's closest friends, and the Purple Puyo Hat makes the wearer relive past dark memories."

"And we found the Green Puyo Hat just recently." Arle said. "It fulfills desires by using illusions."

"You found the Green Puyo Hat, **KUMA?!** " Akuma asked.

"How? Where was it?" Tarutaru asked.

"Lidelle's brother had it. He came from the same world as me."

"Huh. I didn't know Lidelle had a brother."

"You'll be surprised when you find out who exactly he is…" Arle gained a sweatdrop.

"Well, anyway." I took control of the conversation. "Peruvis has the Yellow Puyo Hat. We still don't know what it does. And we haven't told her about the situation we're in."

"Do you know where she is, **KUMA!** " Akuma asked.

"Well, she should be…"

" **I FOUND THEM!** "

Just as Arle was about to explain, we heard someone yell while the floor was shaking around us. Not long after, the door busted open and it spawned a great amount of dust to fly around.

Once it cleared up…

" **I FOUND THEM! I FINALLY FOUND THE REST OF THE PUYO HATS! RELEASE THEM, VILE FIEND! OR FACE MY EXPLOSIVE WRATH! WHOOOOOOOOOOH!** "

 ***BOOM***

"W-Woah…" Yu said.

"He's big." Rei said. With an added meow from Kat.

" **Z-Zoh! C-Calm down! You'll make this mess even worse!** " Arle yelled. Trying to gain the elephant king's attention.

"Arle? What are you doing here?"

"These are my friends. We're all trying to find the Puyo Hats, too."

"Friends? So, does this one count as your friend, as well?" Zoh asked as he pulled someone off of his back and showed us. And due to the extreme coincidence, we were shocked to see who it was.

" **G-GUYS! H-HELP ME! THIS WEIRD ELEPHANT GUY JUST GRABBED ME OUTTA NOWHERE AND KEPT CALLING ME A THIEF!** "

" **Zoh! That's our friend, Peruvis! She didn't steal the hats!** "

"Oh. I see." Zoh then placed Peruvis down and she ran towards me in fear for her life.

" _Wh-Who is this guy?!_ " She asked me.

"This is Zoh Daimaoh. He came from Arle's world looking for the Puyo Hats. He also owns them."

"H-He **OWNS** the Puyo Hats?! That's insane!"

"So, that means I can finally get rid of this thing! It was taking too much space anyway!" Phoenix said as he popped out of her back. He held the Yellow Puyo Hat in his hand and he was spinning it around with his finger.

"Don't, you idiot! I still need it for my wish!"

"Wish?" Arle, Yu, and I asked.

"Peruvis, please!" Ami begged her. "Right now is something _**really**_ important! More so than a rumored wish! **My life is at stake here!** "

"Wh-What? Your life? What are you talking about?"

And so, we finally explained to Peruvis what was going on with the Puyo Hats. What the Blue, Green, and Purple Puyo Hats do, and how the Red Puyo Hat is out to kill me.

It was then that she finally understood what we were warning her about the first time we met.

"Well, damn. If a bunch of hats can do all of that, then…" Peruvis had a sad look on her face as she held the Yellow Puyo Hat in her hands. "…Amitie. I'm sorry. I'll help you guys out as much as I can…but I can't give up the Yellow Puyo Hat. At least…not yet."

"Huh? Not yet?"

"I-I have…personal business that I have to take care of. And the hats are my only ticket of doing so. I can't go into details about it. It's too personal. But that's why I was collecting them."

" _ ***sigh***_ Get really real."

"Well, what do you think, Zoh?" Arle asked.

"Well…if she's willing to help stop the red one, then I guess I could let her keep the yellow one for a bit longer."

"Th-Thanks. I-I really owe you guys for this." Peruvis looked like she was about to cry. But she held it in.

 _It looks like Melody's not the only one keeping secrets…_

"The Yellow and Green Puyo Hats…now we have the remaining four!" Yu cheered.

"Yay." Rei said.

"Meow."

"But we still don't know what the Yellow Puyo Hat does." I said.

"Don't you know, Peruvis?" Ami asked.

"Um, well…I haven't actually put it on. And since you told me about what the other four do, I'm highly scared to find out."

"Understandable…So, then that just leaves the red one."

"Now that I think about it, what exactly is its power?" Arle asked the two experts, who had both went silent at this very moment. They know something…but it looks like they're both hesitant to tell.

"If either one of you knows anything, it would be wise tell-all, **KUMA!** " Akuma said.

…

…

…

" _ ***sigh***_ Alright." Tarutaru broke the silence. "Well…I'm sure that you heard that the Red Puyo Hat is believed to have a demon trapped inside, correct?"

"Yeah. We've heard that." I was getting an uneasy feeling about this.

" _W-Wait. D-Don't tell me…_ " Ami said in total fear.

"I'm afraid that the rumor is actually true." Zoh said.

" _N-No way…_ "

"Long ago, during events that are not fully documented, the demon went on a murderous rampage and killed tons of innocent people. Its reason for such an evil act was never known. But eventually, it was stopped. And sealed away inside the Red Puyo Hat.

Since then, it and the other four hats have placed on heavy guard. A job past down in my family for generations.

But over time, the hat would often break free from its barrier and grant one death wish for whoever would get their hands on it. The person would place the hat on his or hers head and it will read their mind. Searching for the one person they hate so much, they want them dead. Then the hat goes out in plain sight. Waiting for the right moment…to murder its target."

" _ **M-Murder?!**_ " Ami said in a strong state of fear.

"Amitie. Do you know anyone that would hate you so much for this to happen?" Tarutaru asked.

"N-No. No one comes to mind. I can't possibly think of anyone that could hate me."

 _But I bet I know someone who does…_

I looked over to Melody, who hasn't said a word since we came here. Her back was turned away from us and her hood was over her head, trying to go unnoticed.

"Melody. You know something, do you?" I asked her.

"Wh-What?! N-No! Of course, I don't!"

" **Cut the crap, Melody! I know that you know something about this damn hat! Now stop being retarded AND HELP YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!** "

Melody went silent for a good while. Not saying a word or even looking at my pissed off face.

" _M-Mom…_ " Ami said to her with a look of pure fear and despair.

…

…

…

"O-Okay. Fine. I do know who it is. In fact, there's only one person who could do this."

"Really? Who?" Arle asked.

Melody went silent again.

"Come on, Melody." I started getting impatient.

"Okay, okay." Melody said before taking a huge deep breath. "The only person I know who could do such a thing…is your father, Ami."

As I looked at Ami, I can tell by the look on her face that she was hurting all over. Internally and externally.

" _N-No…no way…i-it can't be…m-my father…w-wants me dead?_ "

" **Wh-What the hell?! What kind of father wants their own daughter dead?!** " Peruvis asked.

"Ami's father was a sick and heartless person. He assaulted us both every day for a year. And one night…"

"One night, he almost killed us." Ami interrupted her mother. It was then that Melody finally removed her hood and looked at her daughter's fear-driven face.

"A-Ami…th-there's actually more to that."

"Huh?"

"Well…the truth is…you were the only one who survived."

"What?" We were all confused.

"M-Mom, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that…that…well…I-I died."

" **WH-WHAT?!** " Arle, Peruvis, Yu, and I shouted in shock. Ami just flat out lost it and cried hard on the floor. Hearing the truth for the first time…that her mom **DIED** during the assaults…it destroyed any amount of her sanity she had left.

And I honestly don't blame her.

"S-So…i-if you died, then…h-how are you here?!" I asked.

"Well…it's because of this."

Melody reached into her shirt and took out a red and black jewel hanging from a black string around her neck. It was shiny as hell, almost blinding me. But I did get to see it.

" **M-Melody! Th-That's a…That's a Soul Ruby, MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!** " Akuma shouted louder than usual.

" **A Soul Ruby?!** " Arle and I shouted.

"W-Wait, what's a Soul Ruby?!" Phoenix asked.

"It's the crystal that connected to the Dimensional Mirror and brought me here!" Arle explained.

" **Melody! How did you get a Soul Ruby?!** " Yu asked.

" _ ***sigh***_ _Never did I think I would be telling this story so soon…_ " Melody said to herself. "You see right before we graduated, Harmony gave me this as a present. She told me to always keep this on me. And if something happened to me that resulted in me dying an early death, place this around my neck and wait a few hours. Once that happened, I came back to life. But with a different soul."

"Woah." Rei said. With an added meow from Kat.

"People who use Soul Rubies to be revived and live out the rest of their lives like normal are known as a rare kind of Tortured Soul: the Reborn Soul."

"A Reborn Soul…damn, and I thought it was impossible for one to exists." Phoenix said. "Never did I think that **YOU** would be one, Melody."

"I never thought that I would ever have to **USE** this gem. But I guess life likes to screw with us, huh?"

We sat there in pure shock after hearing about Melody's true self. How Ms. Accord knew this would happen, and gave Melody a Soul Ruby to save her life.

It's somewhat scary…but it really does prove that Ms. Accord and Melody truly are best friends. It makes me question what I've done to save Ami's life.

"Mom…how come you never brought this up until now?" Ami asked.

"Trust me, Ami. I wanted to. But telling your only child that their mother died at the hands of her father and was brought back to life by a mystical gem isn't the easiest thing in the world."

"She has a point, Ami." I said.

"Well…yeah. I can't deny that."

"But when I heard that the Red Puyo Hat had tried to kill you back then at the forest, I knew it had to be your father. He still thinks I'm dead, and now he wants to make sure that you are too." Then Melody got on her knees and started crying. " **AMI! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY FOR KEEPING SO MANY SECRETS FROM YOU! I WAS ONLY TRYING TO PROTECT YOU, BUT I FAILED AT THE ONE THING A MOTHER SHOULD ALWAYS DO! I WAS TOO GODDAMN CARELESS! PLEASE! HAVE IT IN YOUR HEART TO FORGIVE ME! YOU'RE THE ONLY FAMILY I HAVE LEFT! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!** "

 _Whoa…this is the first time I've seen Melody cry like this, or at all! She really must be sorry for all this._

Ami then got on her knees to Melody's level and hugged her as tight as she could possibly can as she broke down crying too.

" **MOM! I FORGIVE YOU! I WILL ALWAYS FORGIVE YOU! I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU! DEAD OR ALIVE, YOU'RE STILL MY ONE AND ONLY MOMMY! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!** "

The mother and daughter duo continued to cry together while wrapped in each other's arms. It was a touching moment for all of us. I was crying full-fledge tears at this point, and so were the others. But then I wiped them away and grabbed hold of both of them.

"Ami. Melody. What just happened was really, really sweet. But now we have a new and bigger problem to deal with."

"Ally's right, **KUMA!** We need to get you two to a safe place immediately, **KUMA!** " Akuma said.

"Someplace big, wide, and open should do the trick." Tarutaru added.

We all thought for a moment of a place that might work. Then a thought came to my mind.

"I got it! Lidelle's house! It's all of those things! We could stay with her!" I said.

" _Onee-chan. I'm staying with you._ " Rafisol said.

"Yeah, me too!" Arle said.

"No friend of mine is going to be killed by a damn beanie!" Peruvis said.

"Nyahahaha! Let's see this demon fight off against a Tortured Soul! I'll make it worth its while!" Phoenix said.

"And I bet Raffina and Lidelle will help too! We're all here and willing to protect you, Ami!"

Ami looked at all of us as she shed more tears down her face. These tears, unlike ones before, were tears of happiness and hope. She grabbed onto me and hugged me tight as she let said tears of happiness and hope out of her eyes.

"Ally…everyone…thank you! **THANK YOU ALL! YOU'RE ALL LIFE SAVERS! I'LL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THIS!** "

These words that came out of my best friend's mouth were truly the best things I ever heard from her. I wrapped my arms around her and enjoyed every last minute of this moment.

 _Ami. This is why…you were my first love._

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **I said I was going to trim these chapters down. But in the end, I still made them long. No point in making that promise anymore.**

 **See you in part 2. It most likely won't be the final part, but…I can only hope.**

 **Oh, yeah. And I changed "Soul Crystals" to Soul Rubies". If any of you remember, it's to properly match another magical gem appearing later in the story.**


	68. Revenge of The Red Puyo Hat (Part 2)

**Chapter 68 – Revenge of The Red Puyo Hat (Part 2)**

 **Lidelle's POV**

"W-Wait! Slow down! Let me make sure I got this right! So, you're saying the Red Puyo Hat **ACTUALLY** has a demon inside of it?! And it's trying to kill Amitie?!"

"Yes!"

"And the one who summoned it was her own father?!"

"Yes!"

"And the only person who knew about it was Melody…because she actually **DIED** during the assaults?! And she's only alive because of the Soul Ruby given to her by Ms. Accord?!"

"My God, Lidelle! How many times do I have to shout "Yes!" in your face for you to understand?!"

"W-Well, sorry! This just isn't something I can understand so easily!"

I was just lounging around at home when Ally and the others came rushing in. With Amitie looking extremely panicked. I asked what happened…and this is what Ally told me.

"So, we need a place big, wide, and open enough for Ami to hideout in. And your house was the first place I thought of. So, can we please stay here, Lidelle?" she begged.

"Well…I don't know. Is it okay with you, Mother?"

"Of course it is, Sweetie. I couldn't possibly let the daughter of my best friend live in fear, now can I?" Mother said.

"Not to worry, Mel! I'll make sure that hat comes nowhere near Amitie! It'll taste my lovely fists before that ever happens! _Ohhohohoho!_ " Rulue said.

"Thanks, Rulue. You're a life-saver." Melody said.

"Well, now. They don't call me The Fighting Queen for nothing!"

"No one calls you that, Rulue-senpai." Mother said as she gained a sweatdrop.

"Wh-What do you mean?! People gave me that name out of respect!"

"Okay, first off, you were the one who made up that name."

"And second, people called you that only because of the fear that you'll beat them to a pulp if they didn't." Melody added.

"U-Uh, w-well…" Rulue didn't say anything else and just turned her head in embarrassment while Melody and Mother laughed a bit.

"Thanks, Rulue. I needed that after what happened earlier."

" **Sh-Shut up, Melody!** "

 _These three really are best friends…_

"So, can we stay, Lidelle? _Please?_ " Ally begged even more and even started using puppy-dog eyes on me.

 _ **GAH!**_ _Why did I teach her that?!_

"Oh, alright. You guys can stay." I said, giving in to the situation.

" **YAY!** " Amitie and Ally cheered as they came and hugged me as tight as they could with tears falling down from the former.

" **THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, LIDELLE! I OWE YOU MY LIFE FOR THIS!** " Amitie cheered while amidst in a crying state.

Hearing this, to me was…heartwarming in a huge way. For years, I've always depended on other people to get by. But ever since Amitie moved here, I've felt like my life has changed for the better. I've got more friends than I could count, people accepted me for being gay (and the Demonic Princess of Hell. But that was kinda forced out of me), and I even have a girlfriend now.

So, doing this for Amitie…I feel like I actually owe her more than she owes me.

"You're welcome. Amitie." I said.

* * *

I took Amitie, Arle, Peruvis, and the twins to my room while the adults stayed out front. About an hour later, Raffina, Feli, Amira, and Lily came over. And while the latter two stayed out front, we told Raffina and Feli what happened. And they were just as shocked as me.

"Th-That's…unreal. How can anyone be **THAT** evil?" Feli asked.

"I can't believe that damn bastard would go **THIS** far to hurt you, Ami! **I'M GOING TO MAKE HIM PAY FOR THIS!** " Raffina shouted.

"Trust me, Raffina. We all want to. But we need a way to defeat the Red Puyo Hat, first." Peruvis said.

"Right. So, there really is a demon inside that hat?"

"That's what Tarutaru and Zoh said." Amitie said.

"Zoh?"

"That big elephant guy I told you about." Arle said.

"Oh, yeah."

"Does he know how they got here?" Feli asked.

"Not exactly. He says that the red one often disappears to do these kinds of things. So, apparently, this isn't the first time its done this."

" _ ***sigh***_ Of course, it isn't." Raffina looked slightly pissed off. "I honestly thought we were done messing around with that damn hat."

"I know. It's all my fault." Amitie said. "If I haven't put it on my head that day, we probably wouldn't be going through this right now."

"No, Ami! It's not your fault!" Raffina yelled.

"The only person to blame here is that inhumane psychopath you used to call your father." Peruvis added.

"Trust us, Ami. We'll destroy that hat and keep you safe. We're all here for you." Ally said.

" _Onee-chan's right, Ami._ " Rafisol said.

Amitie did let out a few more tears, but then she looked at us with an average-sized smile on his face.

" _Th-Thank you…e-everyone._ " It was somewhat hard to understand with her crying, but we all knew what she said. And it only made us even more determined to keep her safe.

"So, how do we stop this thing? What's our plan?" Ally asked.

I then looked at Arle and she looked at me. Judging on the look on her face, I can tell that she had the same idea as me.

"W-Well…there is someone we could ask for help." I said.

"Really? Who?" Raffina asked.

"Uh…Arle and I will go look for this person. We don't want too many people to come along."

"Yeah. We still need to protect Amitie." Arle added.

"Well…alright. We'll wait here, then."

"Great. We'll be back soon."

As we headed for the door, I felt a hand grab my arm. And I turned to see it was Ally's.

"Lidelle. Is it… _ **him**_?" She whispered.

 _I knew she'll catch on..._

"Yeah. It's _**him**_."

"I see. Good luck."

" _ ***sigh***_ Thanks, Ally. We're gonna need it."

Ally then let go of my arm and I joined Arle outside to find someone that could hopefully help us out in this situation.

Emphasis on the word "hopefully".

* * *

"So, where did Satan run off to after Yumi dealt with him?" Arle asked.

"Mother made him stay in Primp. Since he can't be trusted in your world by himself."

"I see. Well, at least people over there won't be bothered by him anymore."

"Now it's to wonder if he'll behave over here." I said with little confidence in that being true.

"Still, I can't believe you're his little sister. How old is Satan?"

"He just turned "25". Not long ago."

"Tw-Twenty-five?! And he keeps chasing over a 17-year-old girl like me?! What a freaking pedo!"

 _Now that I think about it, that is rather pedo-like…_

"By the way, Lidelle. Why did you put 25 in air-quotes like that?"

 _Damnit! She noticed! Might as well come clean…_

"Because he may be 25. But that's only his human age."

"His…human age?"

"We usually go by normal human ages because our actual demon ages tend to freak people out."

"I see…" Arle went silent for a bit. "I know I'm going to regret asking this, but…what's Satan's actual demon age?"

"Uh…well…add 100,000 to what I just told you."

"Wait, so he's… **100,025-YEARS-OLD?!** "

"Yep. On the nose."

"Ew! It now makes it extremely creepy that he keeps chasing after me! All the times he keeps calling me his fiancé and saying that we'll have our honeymoon underneath the starry night sky…Demon King or not, that guy's a freaking pedophile!"

"That "freaking pedophile" is still my brother, you know…" I said with a sweatdrop.

"R-Right. Sorry."

"Anyway. Hopefully, we find Satan soon. We might not have much time out here."

"Right. Let's keep on looking."

A few minutes later and we were still having no luck. We even ended up in the forest and Satan was nowhere to be found.

 _How the hell did he disappear like this?! It's only been a few hours since he came to Primp!_

"Aw, geez. Where is he? We're running out of time!" I yelled.

That's when we heard rustling going on in the bushes near us. We thought it was just Dongurigaeru or some Onion Pixies roaming around. But out from the bushes came, coincidentally, the person we were looking for.

"Satan!"

"Lidelle? Oh. And Arle, too."

" **Nuh-uh! No way!** " Arle yelled as she stood behind me. " **Back off, Pedo King!** "

"P-Pedo King?! Now, where did **THAT** come from?!"

"Uh… _Hehhehheh…_ " I nervously laughed a little.

"Lidelle…what did you do?"

"W-Well…I _**may**_ have told her you real age and…"

"You did **WHAT?!** "

"S-Sorry! It just came up during a conversation while we were looking for you!"

" _ ***sigh***_ Well, it doesn't matter. I've given up on her anyway."

"Wait…what?" We asked.

"I said I gave up on you, Arle. You don't have to worry about me bothering you ever again."

From the look on her face, Arle wasn't buying it.

"How can I believe you, Satan?" She asked.

"I don't really care if you do or not. Since you're officially taken, it'll be a total waste of my time going after you now. With that in mind, I could be doing something better with my time than being, as you said, "The Pedo King"." Satan sounded rather pissed while saying that. It must've _**really**_ bothered him.

"W-Wow, Satan. If that's how it is, then…I guess I can believe you."

I admit, I was shocked too. The fact that Satan said something so serious and mature for once (that didn't involve being king and whatnot)…it blew my mind away.

It honestly made me respect him a little more. But I'm going to tell him that.

…

Not yet, at least.

"So. What are you two doing here, anyway?" Satan asked. "Why were you looking for me?"

"Oh, right." I asked. "Well, it all started like this…"

 ***ONE VERY LONG EXPLANATION LATER***

"And that's when we thought you might know something about it, so we came looking for you."

"Hmm…the Red Puyo Hat. It sounds familiar. Like I've heard of it before."

"Didn't Dad tell you anything about it?"

"Now that I think about it…there's a book about infamous demons back at the house. You could check there."

"Sounds like a good start." Arle said.

"Yeah, it does. But why can't you come and find it?" I asked.

"Because I'm busy with plans for my _Sweet Home_!"

"Your what?"

" _Hey, Satan._ You better not do anything that would mess up this peaceful town." Arle said with a stern tone.

"And just what makes you think I would?"

"Do I _**really**_ need to say it?"

"Don't worry, Arle. Satan knows that if he does, Mother will get him for it." I said to her.

"Well, aren't you the perfect child..." Satan said sarcastically.

"Well, anyway…thanks for the advice, Satan." Arle said.

"I'll tell Mother you're doing fine." I said.

"Do as you wish." Satan said before flying off.

"Well, that went better than I thought. Now let's get back to the others and see if we can find that book."

"Right! Let's go!"

"Geez, I wish you were Ally right now. I want to said "fall in love" and piss her off."

"You still find that funny?"

"Yep. And getting punched in the stomach is totally worth it. _***giggle***_ "

"Uh…yeah. Sure." Was all Arle said with a huge sweatdrop of confusion.

* * *

We both headed back for my house to meet up with the others and to tell them what Satan had told us. Since we ended up in Nahe Forest, it was going to be quite the long trek. So, we ended up in another conversation to pass the time.

"Come to think about it…what's your actual age, Lidelle?" Arle asked.

"You're bringing this up now?"

"Well, I wanted to ask when you told me Satan's. But I was too focused on the pedo part." Arle then began rubbing the back of her head.

"I guess that's understandable…" I gained a sweatdrop. "…Well, to answer your question, I'm 10,015. But I tell people I'm 15 for the same reason I said before."

"I see. So, what about Ringo? Is she like that?"

"We're the same age. Both human and demon. Though Ringo tends to hide the fact that she's part hellspawn. Mainly because there's no one like her in Suzuran."

"Huh. Interesting."

That conversation ended up making it easier for us to get back to the plaza. When we got there, though, we kept hearing a noise that was getting closer to us. I even recognized the noise. It was…

"Poochy?"

" _ARF ARF!_ "

"Wh-What's wrong, boy? What's got you so panicked?"

" _ARF ARF!_ _ARF! ARF_ _ARF ARF!_ _ARF ARF!_ "

" **WHAT?!** "

"What did he say?" Arle asked.

" **He said there's a weird and crazy hat attacking the house!** "

"Weird and crazy hat… **THE RED PUYO HAT! IT MUST'VE FOUND OUR HIDING SPOT!** "

" **AMITIE'S IN DANGER! POOCHY! IS EVERYONE STILL HOME?!** "

" _ARF!_ "

" **Great! Come on, Arle!** "

" **Right!** "

We followed Poochy all the way back to my house to help out everyone. We can only hope that Amitie's still okay…

…or better yet, still alive.

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

" **GAH!** " I shouted as I was slammed against the wall by sheer force of extreme power. I could barely move. I was in so much pain. And I'm pretty sure I have a few sprained and broken bones.

 _But I've gotta get back up, damnit! There's no way in hell I can admit defeat!_

 _Not when…Not when something like this is happening._

" **Raffina!** " I could hear everyone yell out my name with deep worries as I struggled to get back up.

" **Miss Raffina! You shouldn't get back up!** " Lily said as she rushed to my aid.

" _B-But Lily…I gotta…p-protect…A-Ami…!_ "

" **But you're deeply hurt right now! Continuing to fight would only make it worse!** "

" _B-But…_ "

" _Listen to the old hag, child._ "

" **T-The hat talked?!** " Feli asked.

" **Wh-Who are you calling an old hag?!** " Lily shouted.

" _No mortal has ever battled me and survived. I_ _ **always**_ _complete my goals. And I'm not going to let a bunch of nuisance teens get in my way._ "

" **Well, to bad!** " Ally shouted. " **We're not going to let you lay a hand on her, you demonic monster!** "

" _Ha! Go ahead and try, mortal! It'll be a good sight to see you_ _ **ALL**_ _buried six feet under with Amitie!_ "

" **I'll make you regret saying that! Melody Scale!** " Ally performed a strange spell that I've never seen before. A bunch of musical notes spawned out of her hand and attacked the Red Puyo Hat, exploding on contact. When the smoke cleared, we saw that the hat was still standing.

" _Is that all you got? Pathetic._ "

" **Tch! You ready, Sis?** "

" _Ready, Onee-chan._ " Rafisol said.

" **Love Shine!** "

" _Disorder._ "

While Ally used her heart trick from earlier, this was the first time I've seen Rafisol use any of her soulless spells. She formed an electric ball with her hands and shot it at the hat along with Ally's heart attack.

It was amazing. But both did absolutely nothing. As the hat was still there.

It then start to glow as it begun floating on its own. A black ball of energy formed from it and it soon shot at the twins. Both started going down with extreme electrical shocks. But not before the hat teleported to them, grew a huge black arm, and did one big swipe at them. Causing them to hit the ground hard. Their bodies motionless as blood started pouring from the huge scars left on their stomachs.

" **Ally! Rafisol!** " Ami shouted in fear.

" _O-Onee-chan…I-It hurts…_ " Rafisol whined in pain.

" _J-Just stay still, Sis. I-It'll only get worse if you move…_ " Ally softy said as she held on to her sister for two-way comfort.

" _S-So, it is you…_ " I heard Peruvis whisper to herself while slowly gaining rage. " _Damn, you…_ **Damn you, you abomination!** **You plan on doing the same thing all over again just like before!** "

 _B-Before? What is she talking about?_

" _Oh, so you do remember?_ " The hat taunted. " _I was hoping to inflict traumatic memories into your brain again. But killing you will be just as fun._ "

" **Shut it! I'll be the one to kill you this time! I WILL avenge all the people you killed!** "

" _Ha._ _You're being_ _ **real**_ _cocky if you think you even have a 0.000001% chance of beating me, tortured soul._ "

"You're a rather huge hypocrite to be saying that…Sphinx." Phoenix said.

" _Phoenix…it's been a while. Who would've thought one of the most powerful souls in the universe would be stuck inside the body of a weak, spineless, mortal? You're nothing more than a pathetic wisp now! Hahahaha!_ "

 _W-Wait! Peruvis and Phoenix_ _ **KNOW**_ _the demon inside the hat?!_

"Damn. It's just as I thought. Sphinx was the rumored demon trapped inside the hat." Peruvis said.

"Even after we sealed him off, he found a way to possess the Red Puyo Hat." Phoenix said. "That hat's power…mixed up with his…"

" **I don't care! If we truly failed the first time, then this time I'll get my revenge!** "

" **Wait! You idiot!** " Phoenix tried to stop her. But before he could, the hat did another huge swipe at Peruvis. It swung her back far and she hit the wall, sliding down next to the twins as her shirt started to get bloody from the deep cuts on her stomach.

" **Damnit, kid! I told you to wait!** " Phoenix shouted.

" _S-Sorry…Ph-Phoenix. B-But the rage…The rage inside me from before…_ "

"I get it. Just save your energy, kid. You need it more than me right now."

" _R-Right…_ "

" _ **NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_ _The sight of mortals being on their last breaths is a beautiful scene! But you know what a better one would be?_ _ **A BUNCH OF BLOODY DEAD CORPSES! NYAHAHAHAHA!**_ "

Hearing that, it made me rage a hell a lot than normal. So much so, that I started getting up despite my injuries. And stood in a slouched state of pain.

" **M-Miss Raffina! Wh-What are you doing?!** " Lily asked.

" _I…won't…lose._ "

" **Don't be an idiot, Raffina! You're in too much pain!** " Amira shouted.

" _I…won't…lose._ "

" **Raffina! Please! I don't want to lose you!** " Feli shouted.

" _I…won't…lose._ "

I ignored all of their pleas as I walked over towards the hat. I was filled with so much rage. For months, this goddamn hat has made my girlfriend's life a living nightmare. And now it thinks it can just come over and take her away from me?!

" _This hat…I won't lose…to this fucking hat!_ _ **I WILL END YOU…**_ "

I was suddenly stopped in my tracks by Ami, who stood in front of me with her arms spread out in my face. Her eyes were red, swollen, and filled with tears of fear. Looking at this…it made me froze in utter sadness. I haven't seen this look on her face since the day we almost died in Nahe Forest.

Now it hurts to even see it. Physically and mentally.

" _A-Ami…what are you…_ "

"Raffi. Please stop. I don't want to see you get even more hurt."

" _B-But Ami…_ "

"No. Enough is enough." Ami then turned to face the Red Puyo Hat. The same hat that has made her life a living hell from the day she encountered it.

"Hey! Listen! I…surrender."

"Wha… **WHAT?!** " The rest of us (that had the energy to) yelled.

"I-I surrender. Y-You can kill me all you want. Just please…leave my friends and family alone."

" _Hahahaha._ _Excellent. Glad to see you've accepted your fate, Amitie. Your father would be proud._ "

"Ami…" I said.

"I only have one last request. Can we do this somewhere else? I don't want anyone here to see me die."

" _Hmm…fine._ _It's the least I can do…for making my job a lot easier. Hahahaha._ "

" **Ami! What the hell are you doing?!** " Melody yelled.

"I'm sorry, Mom. But this is the only way. It's either me, or all of you. I've done enough damage to you all and this town." Ami then faced me again. This time will full tears running down her face. She gave me a full-fledged kiss on my mouth then parted away from me, stepping back a few feet.

"Raffi…Mom…everyone…this is goodbye. Thank you all for the great memories."

"Ami…w-wait…!" I tried to say.

" _Let us go, my child. Your death awaits._ " The hat said as grabbed hold of Amitie and flew off, making a hole in the ceiling in the process.

" **AMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!** " I shouted as I fell to the ground in extreme despair and sadness.

 _N-No…No, it can't be! Sh-She didn't just do that! Ami…sacrificed her life?! For_ _ **OUR**_ _safety?! No! No!_ _ **NOOOOOOOO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! AMI! MY LOVE! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?! WHY DID YOU DO SUCH A STUPID THING?! WHY, WHY, WHYYYYYYYYY?!**_

" **G-Guys, what happened?!** "

" **W-Was that Amitie being flown off in the sky just now?!** " Just then, Lidelle and Arle ran inside the house and saw the damage the hat had caused.

" _I-It…it took her…_ " Ally suddenly raised her head up and spoke.

"Huh?" Both girls asked.

" _T-The…The Red Puyo Hat. A-Ami surrendered to it. A-And it…i-it took her away…t-to kill her somewhere else._ "

" **Oh, no!** " Lidelle yelled.

" **We're too late!** " Arle yelled.

" _H-Hey, Lidelle. Wh-What did…y-your brother say?_ " Ally asked as she was now up on my level.

"Right. He said there's a book here somewhere that's explains more of the Red Puyo Hat, and maybe how to defeat it."

"Everyone! Let's look for that book!" Arle yelled.

"Right!" We said.

* * *

While Lidelle, Arle, Yumi, and Amira looked for the book, Ally, Rafisol, and Peruvis were being healed by Feli. Apparently, she knows a couple of healing charms and got to use them for the first time.

 _I'll have to eat my own words about her charms later…_

It healed up the trio of all their injuries and even closed off the deep cuts in their stomachs. But that part was only a temporary fix, according to her. Actual surgery is required to completely fix them. So, they shouldn't move around much anymore.

But my injuries…they were too severe to heal even once. The swelling from the sprained and broken bones went down. But that's about it. My bruises and internal injuries were still present. Making it hard for me to move a single muscle.

But I was still able to yell. Case in point…

"Miss Raffina. You shouldn't be moving so much. You're still badly injured." Lily said to me.

" **I can't, Lily! I need to rescue Ami!** "

"But you experienced what that hat could to you! If you go up against it again, you're sure to die!"

" **I don't care, damnit! As long as I could see Ami again…as long as I can see her beautiful face one last time…I'm willing to die for her! I just want her to be safe!** "

"Miss Raffina…"

" **WE FOUND IT!** " Lidelle said as she and Arle rushed into the living room. With Lidelle holding a big red book in her hands. She slammed it on the ground and started flipping through the pages in rapid speed.

"So, this book has something that can help us find and rescue Ami?" Ally asked.

"Uh…let me see… **HERE IT IS!** " Lidelle stopped on a page containing a picture of the Red Puyo Hat. The picture itself was really disturbing. It showed the hat, but with a black shadow-like creature popping out of it.

It looked a lot like Phoenix. But it had bloody white claws and traces of blood all over its body. Its eyes were pale white with no life in them. All and all…this was not a good picture to look at.

"Wh-What…What the hell is that thing?" I asked in pure horror.

"It says here…" _The Red Puyo Hat once had the power of granting the true dreams of the wearer. But centuries ago, The Soul King, simply known as Sphinx, was sealed away inside the hat after being defeated in a massacre against mortal kind._

 _His power was eventually fused with the power of the hat. He used the power to have his true dream granted. To kill every living thing in existence. And send the world in apocalyptic ruin._

 _Unfortunately…as long as Sphinx resides inside, the true power of The Red Puyo Hat will be forever lost._ "."

"Whoa…so, the Red Puyo Hat wasn't always evil." Arle said.

"Granting the true dreams of the wearer…that sounds like a nice power." Ally said.

"I know, right? Too bad it's gone forever, though." Feli said.

"Hey, Phoenix. You actually said the thing's name earlier. You know this Sphinx guy or something?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I do. Sphinx, known as the Soul King, is evil and cold-hearted. He's always had a fixation for killing. No matter who his victims were."

"My God…" Feli said.

"He would always crave more power just so the murders he does can become more enjoyable. So, once he heard of the Puyo Hats, he made it his mission to steal them all and use each of the powers to kill every living thing in the world. Humans, demons, hellspawns, and souls. It didn't matter to him. He just wanted them dead."

"Holy crap…" Arle said.

"S-So, how do you know him?" Ally asked.

"Truth is…I was sent out by Demon King Namanari to defeat him."

"Woah…so, even Dad was trying to stop him." Lidelle said in disbelief. "No wonder he was so stressed around that time."

"So, did you beat him?" I asked.

"I did, but…but not before he killed most of the humans in this one town."

" _ **Most**_ of the humans?" Lidelle asked.

"Very few of them managed to survive Sphinx's massacre. And were able to live somewhat normal peaceful lives.

One of those people…"

…

…

…

"…Was me." Peruvis added.

" **WHAT?!** " We shouted.

" **P-Peruvis…YOU encountered Sphinx before?!** " I asked. To which Peruvis responded with a sigh of sadness.

"I was only 4-years-old when Sphinx attacked my hometown. My entire family was killed and I was about to die myself. But then Phoenix saved my life by possessing me. And I agreed to let him use the last bit of my life force to defeat Sphinx. Once that became a reality, Phoenix repaid me greatly. He someone managed to convince the Demon King to let him continue to posses me in order to keep me alive. That's how I became a Tortured Soul."

"I see. So, that's how it happened."

"My memory of that day is foggy in some areas. But one thing I remember all too well was…was receiving the Yellow Puyo Hat."

"The Yellow Puyo Hat?" We asked.

"I wasn't aware at the time of its power. But this thing…with me at my side for years at this point…it serves as a memento. A memento of how I survived the desire of an evil soul. And how one day, once I find the other four…I will get my revenge on Sphinx. And have **MY OWN** true dream granted. A goal that I've kept within me for my entire life as a Tortured Soul."

"W-Woah…" Was all we were able to say to such a backstory. To think that I hated her before…the fact that she went through all of that and is trying to live a normal life… and I was always picking fights with her…

 _Damn…I really was a horrible person. I truly changed for the better when Ami moved here._

…

 _ **Crap! Ami!**_

"W-Wow. Peruvis, I'm so sorry that happened to you." Lidelle said.

"Yeah, I am too." I said. "But we _**really**_ need to go save Ami right now!"

"How are we supposed to do that, though?" Feli asked.

"You beat him before, Phoenix. Can't you do it again?"

"I doubt it. With most of my power being used to keep Peruvis alive, I'm very limited with it. I'm weak now compared to him."

" _Ugh!_ Damnit! Now what?!"

"Hold on, I'm reading the book more…" Lidelle said. "… _rumored for many centuries, if all 5 hats are brought together, a strange and special power will be born. What exactly is this power…remains unknown._ "

"A strange and special power?" Feli asked.

"When all the hats are brought together?" Arle asked.

"Isn't that just the wish of desires you were talking about?" I asked Peruvis.

"It could be. Though, that was merely a rumor, too."

"So, then…there could be something else alongside the wish of desire."

"Is that all it says, Lidelle?" Arle asked.

"Yeah, that's it. Nothing else."

"I see."

 _Bring the hats together…didn't Yu mention something like that when we first met her and Rei? Something about not knowing what could happen? Well…if doing this is the only way to rescue Ami, then I don't really have a choice._

"Hey. Peruvis."

"Yeah, Raffina?"

"This may be random and reckless to ask, but…I'm gonna need you to use the Yellow Puyo Hat."

"H-Huh? Wh-Why?"

"What else? I'm going to bring all the Puyo Hats together!"

" **What?!** " Everyone shouted.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you crazy?!"

"We have no idea what will happen if the hats are brought together!" Lidelle said.

" **Well, ANYTHING is better than having Ami killed at this point! I'm not going to let some goddamn psycho soul destroy my happiness just for the hell of it! I'm going! And if none of you are going to help me, then you can kiss my broken rich ass as I walk out that door!** "

The room went dead silent right then and there. I didn't have the time or patience to wait for a response. So, despite my life-threatening injuries, I got up and headed for the front door.

But before I left…

"Raffina, wait. I'm coming, too."

"Huh? Seriously, Peruvis?" Arle asked.

"Defeating Sphinx has been a personal goal of mine for as long as I can remember. I want revenge on him just as much as you do, Raffina. And if me using the Yellow Puyo Hat and getting the other ones together is the only way to do it…then I'm willing to do it. If only it will prevent another massacre from happening."

This was a touching moment…but to be honest, I knew Peruvis would give in. There's no one else in this whole world who wants to defeat Sphinx more than her. She truly deserves to see his demise.

" _ ***giggle***_ Sure thing, Peruvis." I said with a smile. "Let's go kick a soul's ass."

"Right. No holding back this time. Fine with you, Phoenix?"

"If we're really doing this, then we should get the other two hats from Zoh. Otherwise, we'll be walking into our graves."

"Fine by me." I said. "Let's go."

"Please be careful, you guys." Lidelle begged.

"I want Ami back, too. But don't kill yourselves for her." Ally said.

" _Bring Ami back. I miss her._ " Rafisol added.

"She's the first friend I made since coming to this world. Please bring her back safely." Arle said.

"Please do be careful, Miss Raffina." Lily said.

"I don't wanna lose my cousin because of this. Don't screw this up, please." Feli added.

"Everyone…we promise." I replied to all of them with a tight fist of passion. "We'll come back safe and sound…and I'll have my girlfriend at my side once more. Just watch me."

"You ready for this, kid?" Phoenix asked Peruvis. "It's going to be like all those years ago, just a heads up."

"Yeah. I know. But the only difference is…I won't be the one who dies this time. I'm doing this for me…and Sig."

"Figured you'd say that."

With all that done, Peruvis and I ran out the door and rushed our way to get the other three from the museum. I wasn't sure how this would work out. My body was still in pain from the multiple bruises and internal injuries. I have no idea what will happen once all five are together again. And fighting the King of All Souls is probably the stupidest thing I've ever done.

But I'm doing this for Ami. All of this is for Ami.

I won't quit until I have my Ami back!

 _Ami! Hang in there! I'm coming to get you!_ _ **I WILL RESCUE YOU!**_

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **And it's STILL over 5k words. I'm honestly shocked that I wrote this much before. This 3-parter could easily pass off as its own story if I felt like it. Luckily, that isn't gonna happen.**

 **See you in part 3 tomorrow. Later.**


	69. Revenge of the Red Puyo Hat (Part 3)

**Chapter 69 – Revenge of the Red Puyo Hat (Part 3)**

 **Amitie's POV**

" _ ***sniff***_ So, this is how it ends for me, huh? Alone, cold, and depressed, about to be killed by a hat. I guess my life was a waste of human existence after all."

" _Yes, it is sad. Boo-hoo. Now shut up already and get up! You'll suffer more like that._ "

"O-Okay." I did what the hat said and got up from the cold hard ground of this abandoned building it took us to. This was my last request before becoming a murdered bloody corpse on the ground. I didn't want the others to see me being murdered. I rather die alone, where I won't hurt anyone else anymore.

" _NYAHAHAHAHAHA! I've waited for_ _ **MONTHS**_ _for this moment! Say goodbye, Amitie!_ "

" **W-Wait!** Th-There's one thing I want to know first!"

" _Oh, what now?_ "

"Just answer me this….why? Why does my father hate me so much? Why did he agree to the idea of letting you come here to kill me? I should at least know that, right?"

The hat went silent, possibly thinking about the second last request I just made.

" _Ugh. You do have a point. Fine, I'll tell you. But after this, I'm slitting your throat. Got it, blondie?_ "

"Y-Yes. I-I got it." I said, still in fear.

" _Well, when I last saw your father, the first thing I noticed about him was…how weak and pathetic he was._ "

"Huh?"

" _That crappy excuse of a mortal was crying his worthless eyes out from the sheer and utter torture he's been receiving from being in prison for the rest of his life. The other prisoners there don't take too kindly to child abusers. Hahahaha!_ "

"L-Last saw?"

" _Bruises all over his body and bloodstains from the multiple cuts he gains. An eye swollen shut and extremely weak from starvation. It was the best thing I've ever seen! Tricking that retarded bastard was the greatest thing I've ever done! And the result was so worth the damn wait! NYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_ "

"W-Wait…wh-what?" I asked.

" _ ***sigh***_ _You still don't get it?! Man, blondes really are morons!_ " The hat got angry.

"Get what?! What are you talking about?!"

" _Your father never attacked you and your bimbo of a mother on his own! I tricked him into wearing me! Possessed his entire soul and_ _ **MADE**_ _him do it! I blackened his soul…making him forget he ever had a family…and forced him to murder the two people he cared about! Just for my own amusement! Hahahaha!_ "

"Wh… **WHAT?!** " I shouted.

" _But even though I was possessing him, that weak spineless mortal couldn't even do_ _ **THAT**_ _right! I found out you both were still alive. And tracked you down to this dump so that I can finish the both of you off myself! Never let a mortal do the Soul King's job, I can tell you that!_ "

" _N-No way…_ " I fell to the floor on my knees and started crying. I couldn't believe what I just heard. My mother dying, my father rotting in prison, me living in fear for the past year…all of that was caused by a psychopathic demon!

And now because of the same damn reason, I'm going to die! I'm going to be killed by this random demon because he tricked Dad into assaulting Mom and I! He made us believe that my dad was evil! I'm such an idiot for believing this whole thing from the very start! And now I'm about to pay the ultimate price for my stupidity!

…

 _Unless…_

" _Alright! Storytime's over! Say your prayers, Amitie! Because you're about to become the next victim in my murderess blood-thirsty rampage! NYAHAHAHAHAHA!_ "

 ***BONK***

" _Gah! What the hell?!_ " The hat yelled after I had used my telekinesis to fling a nearby brick at it.

" _You…bastard._ "

" _What did you just call me, you damn brat?!_ "

" _You…You_ **SICK BASTARD! I lived in fear for a goddamn year because of you! I lost my happiness! My innocence! My sense of security! And most of all…I lost my father! All because of this inhumane "hobby" of yours! And now…now…I'M GONNA MAKE YOU PAY FOR RUINING MY LIFE!** "

" _ **RAAAAAAAAGH!**_ " At that very moment, a black Phoenix look-a-like with bloody white claws, traces of blood all over its body, and pale white lifeless eyes came out of the hat in a full set of rage. " _ **You truly believe you can take me on, damn brat?! They don't call me the Soul King for nothing! I'll rip out your soul and mutilate it out of existence!**_ "

I gotta admit, seeing the demon of The Red Puyo Hat for the first was a rather scary moment. But I still stood my ground. Gearing up for a fight that will either restore or end my life for good.

" _ **I'LL KILL YOU!**_ "

" **I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!** "

We both rushed at each other ready to do battle. A final fight that will either gain me my revenge…or send me straight to my early grave.

But I'm not going to lose. Not anymore. I'm going to defeat this demon return to the people I know and love.

 _Wait for me, Raffi! Your precious Ami_ _ **WILL**_ _come back to you!_

* * *

 **Raffina's POV**

" _ **Gah!**_ _Ow! Damn these injuries…_ "

"You sure you're okay walking around here and doing this?" Peruvis asked me as we were in the middle of town looking for any signs of where Sphinx took Ami.

"I'm fine. I've dealt with worse injuries than this. You should know. We were in martial arts class together."

"Yeah, but the injuries we got from there never extended to this."

" _ ***sigh***_ True."

"Still, though. I can't believe that Zoh guy agreed to let us take the other two Puyo Hats. Knowing what they do and all."

"Yeah, no kidding. I experienced what the blue one does first-hand."

"You did?"

"It was back in January when Ami first moved here. She was still mentally suffering from those events and something Klug said triggered a dark memory. She ran out of the school crying. And after Tarutaru revealed that he had Blue Puyo Hat, I borrowed it and ran after her. But shortly after in the middle of the forest, the hat tried to do me in. Thankfully, I was saved by Yu & Rei. And Ami just happened to be there with them."

"Wow…from the sounds of it, you two had just as messed-up of an experience with these things as I did all those years ago."

"Yeah…well…now it's time we end this crap once and for all." I said with a determined look on my semi-bruised face. "You know what you gotta do right, Peruvis?"

Peruvis went silent as she looked at the Yellow Puyo Hat in her hands. Based on what she experienced as a child and what we told her, she was still rather hesitant to put it on.

"Come on, Peruvis. Please? The only way we can defeat Sphinx and save Ami is to find out what that hat does. You're the only one who can do it."

" _The only one, huh?_ " Peruvis then went silent again. " _ ***sigh***_ Phoenix."

"Yeah?" Phoenix asked as he came out of Peruvis' back.

"Help me…put this hat on my head."

"You really going to put that on?"

"I want all of this to end just as much as everyone else. And like Raffina said, finding out what this hat does is the only way. So, as much as I don't want to put this thing on…just…slowly force it on me."

"You're one strange kid, you know that? But in the end, I can understand where you're coming from." Phoenix then grabbed the Yellow Puyo Hat and held it up above Peruvis' head. "Alright, stay still. I'm putting it on."

"L…L-Lay it on me."

Phoenix slowly placed the hat onto Peruvis' head and we soon waited for the power to kick in. It was a long build-up, though. We probably spent like a good minute or two staring at the hat as it blinked at us every few seconds.

 _It's still really creepy that these things can blink…_

"Anything, yet?" I asked.

"Well…" As Peruvis kept staring at me, she suddenly grew a huge blush on her face. "R-R-R-Raffina!"

"What? What is it?"

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I…I-I didn't think you were **THAT** dirty."

"D-Dirty?"

" _Damn…_ you wanna do **THAT** with Amitie? That's a pretty complex position, you know." Phoenix said with a few chuckles.

"Wh-What are you talking about? Wh-What's that hat doing?"

"W-Well…" Peruvis said. "…for a moment there, I was…looking inside your head, Raffina."

"Looking inside my head?"

"It was kinda like…I was inside your dreams."

"Inside my… **I-Inside my DREAMS?!** "

"It was pretty…interesting, to say the least." Phoenix said. "You and Amitie were both naked and doing a whole bunch of…"

" **Okay, okay! You don't need to say it!** " I yelled in a panic as my dirty dreams were about to be revealed to anyone nearby.

 _Damn. I really am a pervert._

"Basing on what just happened…I think I can say that the Yellow Puyo Hat lets the wearer see into other people's dreams."

"See into other people's dreams? Geez, and I thought the blue one had privacy issues. Well, at least we finally know what it does."

"You know…it wasn't all that bad." Peruvis said. "If all it does is let you see into people's dreams, then I would've used this thing a long time ago. _I could probably find out if…_ "

 ***BONK***

"Ow!"

"Knock it off!" I yelled after hitting the devil girl in the head.

"Fine. Geez, I get it."

 ***BOOM***

"Woah! What was that?!"

"Coming from that direction…isn't that where Primp High is?" Phoenix asked.

"So, Sphinx took her there… **Come on, Peruvis! Now's our chance!** "

" **Right, Raffina! This time, Sphinx will go down for good!** "

The two of us then ran to the direction the explosion happened. Being the now closed down Primp High School. We're so close to rescuing Ami. Nothing's going to stop me now!

For I'm the elegant, graceful, and powerful Raffina Fielding! _Oh, La-Ti-Da!_

* * *

 **Amitie's POV**

" **Gaaah!** "

 ***SLAM***

" _ ***moan***_ _My head…I used the telekinesis too much…_ "

" _Nyahahahaha! You done with your mind games, child?!_ " The demon taunted me as I laid on the floor in a mix of pain and feeling weak from the overuse of the telekinesis.

" _N-No…I-I'm not done ye…_ ***TWITCH*** **Gah! It hurts!** " I somehow forgot about the huge cut on my stomach from when he swiped me hard one time. Why it's **NOW** showing its pain is beyond me.

" _Hahaha. Give up already, you damn mortal. You were destined to die within my grasp. I knew from the moment I first saw you that you were the perfect candidate for a violent and unsavory demise._ _The only problem was me deciding whether it being short & quick or long & painful. Hahahaha!_"

"So, you had your eye on me even before tricking my dad. Why even involve him, in the first place?!"

"Because in case your dumbass blonde head hasn't figured it out yet, I enjoy killing you morals. Seeing you all bleed to death as you accept your worthless fates and crap just brings nothing but happiness to my soul-filled face. No matter who it is, related or not, I'll murder them all! And it's about damn time I start with **YOU** , Amitie Rose! _**Nyahahahahaha!**_ "

 _G-Get real…I'm too weak to either fight back or move out the way. This very well be the end of me. I did all I could. Even after I learned the truth about Dad._

 _It's a good thing I already said goodbye to everyone._

…

 _But…I wish I could see Raffi one more time._ "

" _Hahaha! Say your prayers, child! I'm about to send you to the deepest parts of Hell!_ "

" **Like hell, I'm going to let that happen!** "

" _Aw, come on! What now?!_ "

 _Th-That voice…I know that voice all too well. It can't be…is it really her?!_

We looked over to the entrance of this building…and there she was. Barely standing on her own two feet from her injuries. Ready to fight this evil hat again.

My hero.

My savior.

My one true love.

" **Raffi!** " I cheered.

" _Well, well. If it isn't the pink-haired nympho. I thought you learned your lesson by me sparring your life. But I guess you're just as retarded as blondie here._ "

" **Shut it, you damn Soul King! I've had enough of your demented existence! Time to put you out of your misery, Sphinx!** "

"Soul King? Sphinx?" I asked. Not knowing what she was talking about.

" _So, you learned my true identity, huh Pinky? I'm shocked. I thought you had zero brain cells in that rich girl head of yours._ "

" **I said shut up, damnit! I'll beat your evil ass right here right now!** "

" _Oh, really? So, you really want Round 2 that bad huh, Pinky? Well, I don't mind. Two dead bodies for the price of one is a_ _ **FAR**_ _better deal on my end! Hahaha!_ "

"Tch. Bring it on, Shit King!"

" _That's_ _ **SOUL**_ _King, you cocky brat!_ _ **You pay with your life for that mistake!**_ "

The evil entity now known as Sphinx charged at Raffi and flung her up in the air with a big swipe of his claws. As she spun in the air, drops of her blood can be seen falling from the deep cuts on her stomach. Amazingly though, she landed on both her feet and stood back up after a few seconds.

I was getting scared. That swipe would've and should've killed a person almost instantaneously, yet Raffina was still standing. She looked extremely weak. The injuries from before and massive blood loss was starting to affect her bad. She was breathing heavily from the last attack. But she looked like she wasn't giving up.

" _I…I…Is that…a-a…all…you got?"_ She barely said.

" _You're tougher than you look, kid. I'm impressed. But such guts isn't gonna save your soul from me!_ _ **I'll put you out of your mortal misery!**_ " Sphinx then did a multitude of punches and swipes at Raffina and then slammed her to the ground. A bloody puddle surrounded her body as she tried to get up.

" _Th-That's…it? Y-You call yourself…a king? With attacks so…w-weak?_ "

" _Now you're just bluffing too hard._ " Sphinx said unamused. " _Just shut up and die already._ "

" **Raffi! Please! Don't sacrifice your life for me!** " I shouted at her.

" _D-Don't worry…A-Ami. I-I won't…lose this fight…_ "

" **Raffi, at this rate, you'll lose a lot more than just this damn fight! Please! Stop!** "

" _Nyahahahaha! Don't bother, you useless mortal!_ " Sphinx taunted. " _Death will be her only release now! Nyahahahahahaha!_ "

 _No…it can't end like this! It just can't! There has to be something we can do!_ _ **Where's a freaking miracle when you really need it?!**_

As I continued to worry about the safety of my girlfriend, I felt a strange presence slowly approaching me from behind. I was too weak to actually move my body. But I still felt it getting closer.

I thought it was another demon or soul or whatever coming to get me. Until…

"H-Hey…"

" _Shh! Indoor voices, Ami!_ "

"R-Raina? Wh-What are you doing here?"

" _I'm here to save Raffina! Oh, yeah. I'm about to do something sneaky. So, stay quiet for me please._ "

 _Something sneaky?_

"Did Raffi put you up to this?"

" _Nope! It's a secret! I'm playing super spy with a good friend of mine!_ "

"A friend? You mean Marvett?"

" _Nope! Not Marvie! It's actually…_ "

" _Raina! Focus on your objective,_ _ **KUMA!**_ "

 _W-Wait…was that…_ _ **Akuma?!**_

" _Oops. Sorry. See ya, Ami. I gotta get back to being sneaky._ " Raina then left my side and started sneaking up behind Sphinx. I was able to catch a small glimpse of what was in her hand.

And it looked like…a pair of scissors?

 _What's she gonna do with those?_

" _You really should've listened to your blonde idiot of a girlfriend. Probably would've extended your lives by a few seconds as you said your final goodbyes. Too late for that now! You'll be murdered alone and afraid!_ " As Sphinx raised his blood-dripped claws…prepared to end the life of the one person I love the most in the world…I saw Raina slowly crawling closer to the hat. The pair of scissors in her left hand fully opened in the process.

Until…

" _ **Nyahahahaha! Get ready to die, kid! You'll be the first murder in years of the Great Soul King Sphi…**_ "

 ***SNIP***

" _ **Gah! What the hell?!**_ "

" _Yay! I got it! I got the weird hat thingy!_ " Raina cheered as she held the Red Puyo Hat in her free hand. No longer attached to Sphinx as he floated in the air without it.

" _R-Rai…na…?_ " Raffi said before finally passing out. Succumbing to her multiple injuries after this long of fighting it out.

 _Raffi…_

" _Grr…Retarded brat! Gimme that damn hat back!_ "

" _No way! You're a big meanie! Big meanies don't deserve weird hat thingies!_ " Raina ended it off with her sticking out her tongue.

" _Tch! Well, fine! This "big meanie" will just kill you, too!_ " Sphinx then began charging at full force. Destined to get the hat back by any means necessary.

" **Raina! Look out!** " I yelled.

 **"Falling Thunder!"**

 ***ZAP***

" _ **Gaaaaaaah!**_ " All of a sudden, a huge stroke of lightning came from above and struck Sphinx hard. Electrocuting him as he slowly fell to the ground.

"W-Woah…wh-what **WAS** that?" I asked in amazement.

"Well, wrangle me up and give me corn! That there came out better than I thought it would!"

"Huh?"

Floating down to me while riding a broom was a girl with long orange hair and amethyst purple eyes. She wore an orange witch-like dress, hat, and shoes and even had some really cute jewelry on her ears and wrists.

 _I wonder…did she get them from Raffi's store?_

"Hey, hey. You must be that girl Amitie my boy Lemres was chattin' 'bout earlier. Name's Kish. Nice to meet ya." The girl introduced herself with a tip of her witch hat.

 _What's with that accent? She must be from Noboruru or something…_

"Uh…hi, Kish. Nice to meet you, too." I said as I was being helped up by her floating broom.

" _Yay! Thanks, Kishi! You're the best!_ " Raina cheered.

"Aw. Ya quite welcome there, Raina." Kish held up a peace sign.

 _Wait, they know each other?_

" _Gaaah. Another_ _ ***TWICH***_ _person_ _ ***TWICH***_ _?_ " Sphinx asked as he was still twitching from the electricity." _How_ _ ***TWICH***_ _did they find_ _ ***TWICH***_ _this place_ _ ***TWICH***_ _? What the_ _ ***TWICH***_ _is going on?_ "

" **Yo, what up, Sphinx?! It's been a while!** " Another voice I recognized spoke out. I then saw Peruvis walking up towards us, with Phoenix coming from her back. Both of them having cocky-like smiles on their faces.

" _Tch. Phoenix…and that_ _ ***TWICH***_ _damn brat, too. I should've_ _ ***TWICH***_ _killed you back then with the rest of your_ _ ***TWICH***_ _family._ "

"You're still saying stuff like that even though you've basically lost at this point? You really are a demented soul."

" _Who_ _ ***TWICH***_ _said_ _ ***TWICH***_ _I lost?_ _ ***TWICH***_ " Sphinx slowly got up despite the twitching he was still doing. " _No matter what you do, both of you are still too damn weak to face off against me! You're nothing like how you were all those years ago! You weak_ _ ***TWICH***_ _spineless_ _ ***TWICH***_ _fool of a mortal! Hahaha!_ _ ***TWICH***_ "

" _ ***sigh***_ Yeah, you're right. We aren't anything like how we were last time." Peruvis said before suddenly snapping her fingers. Causing Raina to throw the Red Puyo Hat over the Soul King and it was now floating over the devil/tortured soul duo. And the other four hats soon joined alongside it.

"In fact…we're even stronger! _**Nyahahahahaha!**_ " Phoenix gloated in a sadistic tone.

" _D-Damnit! Y-You have the other four hats?! I couldn't even get my hands on one of them! This is bullshit!_ "

"It may be bullshit to you, Sphinx…" Peruvis said. "…But for me, this is a dream come true! I've been waiting all my life for this moment! To avenge my family and everyone from home for what you did to them! And now, it's finally time! **TIME FOR MY SWEET MEMORY!** "

"Hey, Amitie! You want in on this?" Phoenix asked me. "You deserve to finish him off just as much as she does, right?"

I stood there in shock at the offer given to me. I'm not entirely sure what Peruvis went through to seek revenge on Sphinx. But for me…I lost my home, my friends, and mainly my dad to the unforgivable evil this "soul king" has done to me.

And there was no doubt in my mind…I wanted revenge.

" **Yeah! Count me in!** " I shouted as I ran towards Peruvis. Once I was next to her…standing underneath the five Puyo Hats as they circled around…I felt an intense power flowing through my damaged body as I started glowing a rainbow-like aura. For once in my life, I felt that all the fear and sadness that has tormented me for the past year and a half at this point had finally left my body, mind, and soul.

I felt…reborn.

"Alright! The hats are all powered up!" Phoenix yelled. "Now, you two… **Push your arms out and blast this nuisance out of existence!** "

"You have to tell me twice!" Peruvis yelled. "Ready, Amitie?!"

"Hell yeah, I'm ready! I'm doing this for me and Raffi!"

And so, without hesitation, we pushed our arms out with all the force we had in our bodies and aimed them at the weaken Soul King

"Ready? **FIRE!** "

" **Luminescence!** " On Phoenix's command, we shot a big rainbow-like beam of light right from our hands and blasted the shadowy killer in the same spot where he was paralyzed.

Only to have him push against the light in a last-ditch effort for him to survive.

" _ **Gaaaah! Damnit! How the hell can it end like this?! I still had my dream to accomplish!**_ "

"Your dream?! **YOUR DREAM?!** " I shouted with rage.

" **Your dream has been our goddamn nightmare for years!** " Peruvis shouted with just as much rage.

" **And for that…** **WE'LL END YOU!** " With our mutual feelings of anger at full volume, the beam got bigger and powerful. So powerful that Sphinx eventually lost the necessary grip to push on. And he was starting to be disintegrated within the bright rainbow light.

" _ **Gaaah! You think this is over?! You can NEVER kill a soul! No matter how hard you try! I'll be back, damnit! And you two will be on the TOP of my list for revenge! YOU HEAR ME?! I WILL KILL YOU ALLLLLL!**_ " This was the last thing the King of Souls had shouted at us before the beam eradicated him from existence. Only leaving a black circle of ash on the spot where he used to be.

He was gone. Sphinx was gone. My nightmare is finally over.

 _I'm free!_

" _Wowie! Wowie! That was super duper awesome!_ " Raina cheered.

"Gotta admit there, girls. That there was some real good blastin'." Kish said as she was now off of her flying broom.

"We wouldn't have done it without you guys." I said as the power from the hats wore off on us and we started calming down. "But…how did you two know that we were here? A-And who sent you?"

" _I can answer that,_ _ **KUMA!**_ "

"Akuma?" I then finally noticed the earpiece Raina was wearing on her left ear.

" _When Raffina and Peruvis came to retrieve the two Puyo Hats, the latter concocted a plan to defeat the evil King of Souls once and for all,_ _ **KUMA!**_ _And for that, we need the help of two more people,_ _ **KUMA!**_ "

"Raina just happened to be at the library with Marvett. So, we asked her." Peruvis added. "And Kish is a friend of Lemres who offered to help us out."

"I…see. But Raffi…" I looked at my still passed out girlfriend.

"She was so determined to rescue you that she left without hearing us out. So, we had no choice but to leave her out of it. If only she wasn't so stubborn…"

" **RAFFI! RAFFI! PLEASE WAKE UP! RAFFI!** " I shouted while constantly shaking her unconscious body.

" _Woah…look at the hat thingies!_ " Raina said as she pointed up with the scissors. The rest of us looked up to see that the Puyo Hats were still glowing the rainbow aura. The blue, green, yellow, and purple Hats were circling around the Red Hat. And soon, one by one, they were joining together. Absorbing their powers together into one, causing a huge glow to fill the room.

"Wh-What's happening?!" I asked.

"I-I don't know!" Peruvis yelled.

" _What?! What's happening,_ _ **KUMA?!**_ _What are the hats doing,_ _ **MA, KUMA, KUMAAAA!**_ "

The bright glow eventually subsided and what was left was mind-boggling. Instead of there being five Puyo Hats, there was only one. It wasn't red. It wasn't blue. It wasn't green, yellow, or purple. It was like chrome white…with the multiple colors swirling on it. It started floating downwards towards us and…

…It…It landed on my head.

"Whoa…what is that thang?" Kish asked.

"I don't know. But…it landed on my head. I hope it's not stuck on me like last time."

" _Fear not, young Amitie. For I am removable this time._ "

" **H-Huh?! D-Did the hat just talk?!** " I asked.

" **I-It did, right?! W-We're not just hearing things?!** " Peruvis asked.

" _No, you are not. I did just talk._ "

" _Cool…_ " Raina said.

" _I must thank you and apologize to you, Amitie. I am the spirit that used to reside in the Red Puyo Hat. And controlled how the other hats worked as well._ "

"The Spirit…of the Puyo Hats?"

" _Did you say "spirit"?!_ " We heard Zoh's voice from Raina's earpiece. " _The Spirit of the Puyo Hats has returned at last!_ _ **I'm so happy that I can't contain my excitement!**_ _ **WHOOOOOOOH!**_ "

 ***BOOM***

" _Z-Zoh! Please calm down!_ " And now we heard Tarutaru in a panic as he was trying to calm down the big elephant guy.

" _My ear hurts…_ " Raina whined.

"So, you originally rested inside the Red Puyo Hat?" Peruvis asked.

" _That is correct._ _I was able to grant the true dreams of whoever wore me. Dreams of pureness and harmony…ones that would surely grant happiness._

 _That is until The Soul King, simply known as Sphinx, successfully stole me from the Royal Temple and corrupted my powers to fulfill his own murderous nightmare. And whoever controls the Red Puyo Hat, controls the other four as well._ "

"I get it now." Phoenix said. "So, when we sealed Sphinx inside the hat…"

" _Correct. You unwarily increased his control over the hats. And with me out of the picture, he continued his murderess massacre._ "

"Damnit…"

"We screwed up big, huh?" Peruvis asked.

" _I'm afraid so. But thanks to you all, I have been freed from Sphinx's imprisonment. And regained control with the other hats._ "

"So, this special power that happens when all five are together…is this…?"

" _Yes. This is the special power. The Rainbow Puyo Hat. It can do all the powers the five separate hats could do on their own, but they help humanity instead of hurting it._ "

"Whoa…" I said.

"That there is pertty impressive fer a simple hat." Kish said.

" _Yes. And now I'm entrusting these five powers to you, Amitie._ "

" **H-Huh?! What?! Wh-Why me?!** "

" _It is my way of apologizing for everything the hats did while under Sphinx's control. These powers will help you live out the rest of your life how it should've been for the past year…in peace._ "

"I-In…In peace…"

" _Yes. In peace. And now I must go. I am…running out of…life force._ "

" **W-WAIT! B-BEFORE YOU GO!** C-Can you help my friend?"

" _Just hold her hand, and wish for her to be better. She will regain some energy…but she will still need medical care. That is the way._ "

"That's it?"

" _That is it. And now I go. Thank you again for freeing me. I truly hope you live in peace for now on. Until…we…meet…a-again…_ "

"W-Wait!" I said. But this time I didn't get a response. The voice of the Puyo Hat Spirit had disappeared. Leaving me with its body. With powers that will help me live in the peace I so truly deserved.

I then walked over towards Raffina, grabbed her hand, and did what the hat told me to do.

"Raffi…please get well. Please feel better. Please be with me, forever and ever."

We both started glowing as I felt my strange new power working on me. A bunch of sparkles came out of Raffi as she started moving slowly. Until finally, she came back to. As she opened her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes that I would never see again.

" _A-Ami…?_ "

"Yes, Raffi. It's me, Ami. I'm still alive."

" _A…A…Am…_ "

" **AMI!** "

" **RAFFI!** "

We both hugged each other and flooded our faces with tears of pure happiness. I truly thought I was never going to see my girlfriend ever again. Knowing that I was wrong was probably the best moment of my life!

"Hey, guys. Not to break up your reunion and all, but we should really get back to the others." Peruvis said.

" _Yes,_ _ **KUMA!**_ " Akuma spoke from the earpiece. " _With the Soul King permanently defeated and the legend of the Puyo Hats finally put to rest, now it is the time for recovery,_ _ **MA, KUMA!**_ "

"Right." I said while looking at Raffi. "We need to get you to the hospital. _Let us go, my queen._ _ ***giggle***_ "

" _ ***giggle***_ _Yes. Let us go forth, my special princess._ " Raffi said as she snuggled against me.

"Aw, geez. Get a room." Phoenix said as he was rather annoyed by how we were acting.

* * *

We all headed back to Lidelle's house where everyone was waiting for us to return. Needless to say, there were tons of tears when they saw that I has come back safely with everybody.

Due to the Rainbow Puyo Hat's power, Raffi's injuries no longer hurt her. But they were still visible. So, she still had to go to the hospital. While there, Peruvis and I explained to everyone what really happened. By that, I mean what Sphinx had said to me before the others showed up, how I got the Rainbow Puyo Hat, and what it said before its spirit faded away.

"W-Woah. Th-that's…unsettling." Lidelle said.

"S-So, this whole time…it was Sphinx who wanted to kill you?" Arle asked.

"A-And he tricked your father into possessing him so that everyone would blame him for it?" Ally asked.

"Yeah. That's the truth." I said.

"That evil bastard wanted nothing more than just simple amusement." Peruvis added. "And in his mind, tormenting the Roses was the way to do it."

"Oh my…" Yumi said.

"Damn. And I thought that Count guy was evil." Rulue said.

" _Oh, God…_ y-your father's in prison for the rest of his life all because he was tricked and possessed. And we couldn't tell the difference. _I feel so horrible…_ " Mom was really letting herself have it. She started crying because, in her mind, the man that she fell in love with was forced to hurt us under the control of such an evil soul.

"Mom, it's okay." I said as I hugged her in an attempt to calm her down. "I'm sure once we explain everything, they'll let Dad go."

"Amitie…it won't be that easy." Lidelle said.

"Lidelle is right, **KUMA!** " Akuma said. "Claiming that you were possessed by an evil soul isn't a valid excuse to be released from prison, **KUMA!** "

"Oh, yeah." I sounded sad.

"Well, we can still visit him Ami. How about sometime before school starts?" Mom asked.

"S-Sure, Mom. I'd like that a lot." I grew a smile on my face, knowing that soon I'll be able to apologize to Dad for what happened.

 _Hopefully, he'll forgive his wife and daughter…_

"Miss Amitie…" Lily called me. "Miss Raffina is out of surgery. Would you like to see her?"

"Oh, yeah. I do. Thanks, Lily."

I walked over to the room where Raffi was and knocked on the door very gently. Then waited for a response.

"Come in." I heard her say. I opened the door slowly and walked inside the room.

"Hey, Raffi."

"Ami! You came!"

"Of course, I did. I wouldn't be a good girlfriend if I didn't."

" _ ***giggle***_ Yeah, true."

"So, how you feeling?" I asked as I stood next to her bed.

"Well, besides the multiple bandages and stitches on my arms, legs, head, and stomach…and the fact that I'm not wearing **ANY** underwear right now…I'm completely fine."

"Yep. You look fine to me."

"Yep. **Completely** unharmed."

We both laughed off the conversation and after a few seconds calmed down while hugging each other. It was kinda hard for us to get it right. So, I just got on the bed with her. It may not be allowed (and Raffi may be completely naked underneath that hospital gown), but I don't care. I freaking deserve this moment for all I went through.

"Thanks for coming to rescue me, Raffi."

"Thanks for saving my life, Ami."

"Well, it wasn't just me. This Rainbow Puyo Hat gave you enough energy for us to bring you here. All I did was wish for you to be with me forever and ever."

"Well, that wish already came true."

We brought our heads closer and connected them in a deep long passionate kiss. We couldn't go all out like normal due to Raffi just coming out of surgery. But even then, this one was truly special. As this was the first one of many to come in my newly reborn life.

"I love you, Ami."

"I love you too, Raffi."

 _May we both live in peace._

 _ **Author's Note: Ugh!**_ **I'm done! And it took me all week to trim down and edit these chapters! I think the fact that it went from two parts to three is what made it longer. I guess.**

 **I have one more chapter planned then it will be the end of the Tsu Arc. And this story will go on a break for a while, too. I truly deserve it after dealing with these monster chapters back-to-back.**

 **Thanks for reading. Later.**


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